


Prongslet Time

by 55artix



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Draco Malfoy is a Good Friend, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship, Harry Pranks Snape and they have a funny love/hate relationship, Harry Ron Hermione Neville and Draco are a quintet instead of the Golden Trio, Harry changes things for the better, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy Friendship, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Neville Longbottom is a Good Friend, No Bashing, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black Lives, Supportive Ron Weasley, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Veil of Death (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:23:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 86,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29804952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/55artix/pseuds/55artix
Summary: At the age of 20, Harry finds himself drawn to the Veil of Death. After falling through, he ends up back in time in his one year old body. Harry vows to save everyone, with the help of Sirius. With his parents and friends alive and well in this new life, Harry finally finds true happiness. Mostly crack fic and lots of cliche time travel tropes are used (but with a twist).
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Neville/daphne greengrass but not endgame, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, possible minor Ginny/Draco but not endgame
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. Through the Veil

**Author's Note:**

> This was cross-posted from Fanfiction.net.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're looking for more time travel stories, read the Draco Does it All Again series on AO3 by Emma_with_her_head_in_the_clouds, it's the series that inspired me to write my own fix-it.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Through the Veil

At the age of 20, Harry lived what some would see as the ultimate picturesque life. He had a loving wife, was well on his way to becoming the Head of the Auror Department (despite only having recently completed training), was one of the most famous wizards of all time, and had two amazing best friends. Yet—for some reason, he wasn't quite happy. He kept thinking about all of those who'd died in the war, wishing for some way to go back and save them. The answer seemed to come in his dreams. He kept dreaming about the Veil that Sirius had been sent into by Bellatrix. For some reason, he got the feeling that somehow, this seemingly deadly archway was the key to getting his friends and family back.

These dreams were the reason why Harry had shown up there, smack in the middle of the night. It wasn't that he wanted to die, no, far from that. But if there was even the slightest chance that he was right about the Veil, he had to try to figure out how it connected to bringing back his loved ones.

Harry continuously studied the Veil and its surroundings. He heard voices coming from it, just as he had before, but none of them were coherent enough for Harry to actually make out what they were saying. After three hours, he still hadn't found a thing. Disappointed, Harry sadly walked away from the Veil. _What the hell was I thinking? My dreams were just dreams. How could I have been so stupid- _"SHIT!" Harry screamed as he tripped over a rock. _Where the hell did that even come from? _Before Harry could catch himself, he began falling backwards into the Veil.____

_____ _

_____ _

XXXXXX

"Oh, Harry, my sweet boy," Lily cooed at her unconscious grown son. "It's not your time yet, you still have one more mission to finish. God knows that Sirius will need some help. As much as I love that man, he's still just a man-child."

"Aw, Lily. Give him some credit. The man spent 12 years in Azkaban, it's a miracle that he didn't actually become a mass murderer after he escaped," James defended his best friend. "I do wish that Harry could've been raised by Padfoot instead of that awful sister of yours, he could've been a legendary prankster...with the proper training, of course."

Lily rolled her eyes. "As much as I disapprove of the Marauders' inappropriate antics, I do admit that Sirius would've done a better job than Petunia, but then again, that really isn't saying much. The Veil's going to send him back, he'll have another chance with another version of us…He'll be able to live the life he should've had in the first place."

"Lils, you know I love you, and would never dare question you, but how do we know that Harry will be able to change anything? How do we know that he isn't just going to be more traumatized? I mean, he is going to be going back to his one year old body," James pointed out.

"We don't, not for sure. But at least this way, he has a chance. He'll have my blood protection again, when he's a baby, as he will no longer be of age. If a killing curse is fired his way by Voldemort, he can't be touched. The blood bond protection magic is strong enough to withstand different timelines," Lily said. "We can only hope that he'll find his way, he always does. The Veil gives people a second chance, he needs this. Good luck, my love." Lily kissed the top of her son's head.

XXXXXX

Harry was falling, and falling, when suddenly, he opened his eyes. He seemed to be lying down in a...crib? He was covered in an unfamiliar blanket with a stag, wolf, dog, and rat on it.

"Looks like lil' Prongslet is awake," a well-groomed, curly-haired young man cooed at Harry. "James and Lily will be happy to know that their son's godfather is perfectly capable of babysitting."

Something about the man seemed familiar. His face and voice—they belonged to man he hadn't seen in over five years—a dead man who'd been the only family member he'd known (not counting the Dursleys). Yet—at the same time, he seemed so different from the man Harry had once known. The lines on his face were gone, and his dark-colored eyes were no longer plagued with a haunted look. Instead, they shined brightly, as if all his guilt, grief, and inner-demons were gone. Even though the man should technically be dead, he seemed more alive now than he ever had before. Harry hadn't seen him look this happy since he'd stuck his head inside Snape's Pensieve—his godfather hadn't looked this carefree since before James and Lily had died.

"Sirius?! What are you doing here? Oh God, I'm dead, aren't I? I fell through the Veil like an idiot, and left all my friends behind," Harry groaned. Harry rubbed his eyes and slowly took in his surroundings. Was he dreaming? He had to be, right?

Harry appeared to be in a place that looked a lot like Godric's Hollow, and there were stuffed animals scattered all over the floor of the room. He spotted a copy of The Daily Prophet on a stool nearby his crib, and repositioned himself to get a better look at the date. The top of the paper read, October 10, 1981.

_What the hell? _Had he somehow gone back in time? Hermione had mentioned that there were theories that the Veil led to time travel and alternate dimensions, but of course, no one who'd ever fallen through the Veil had been around to confirm those theories. Could this be...a second chance? Was this why he'd been so drawn to the Veil? Before Harry could look for more clues as to what was going on, Sirius broke him out of his stupor.__

____

____

"Harry?" Sirius asked. "Is that you? I mean, of course it's you, but…" Sirius trailed off, clearly in shock. "I mean, unless it's really a Death Eater who snuck in when I wasn't looking and used Polyjuice to…" Sirius shook his head. "Look at me, I'm talking to an infant, I must be imagining things. Damn, 12 years in Azkaban has made me loony."

"It's me, Sirius. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I last saw you when I was 15 at the Department of Mysteries. You got cocky, and Bellabitch sent you falling through the Veil of Death while you were taunting her. And now we're somehow both back in time? God, this can't be real, can it?" Harry said, not sure of anything that was happening.

"Trust me, Prongslet, I asked myself the same question when I got here a few days ago. By the way, it is so weird to hear an infant use curse words. So, we've established that I was cursed by my horrible, sadistic cousin and fell through the Veil, but what about you? Please don't tell me that you followed me in! I would've thought that someone would've kept an eye on you, and stopped you from doing something so impulsive and stupid! Hell, Moony was right there, he could have tackled you down if he wanted to. And he calls me the careless one," Sirius scoffed.

"You are careless. Hell, you got yourself killed by being too busy quipping with your cousin that you didn't notice a huge blast coming your way. Also, there's that whole thing where you chased down Pettigrew and laughed like a maniac when the Aurors came, rather than trying to explain the situation. No wonder people thought you were a deranged serial killer," Harry pointed out.

"Okay, there's a lot in that statement that I take offense to, but seeing as your parents are going to be back in about a half hour, we're on a bit of a tight schedule," Sirius said.

"By the way, Remus did hold me back. I fell through the Veil quite a while after you did. I was 20 years old when I tripped and fell through-"

"Wait, you tripped and fell through? And you call me careless. At least I had an excuse, I was duelling, you were just being clumsy. I would've expected that from Tonks, not you," Sirius scoffed. Sirius didn't seem to notice the glimpse of pain that crossed Harry's face when Tonks' name was mentioned. "So, what occurred after my 'death'? Who won the war? Just—overall, what did I miss?"

"Let's see...we beat Voldemort. I ended up killing him with Expelliarmus at the ripe old age of 17. What else...it's been awhile. Remus and Tonks got married, and had a kid named Teddy. I'm his godfather. By the way, we really need to get the two of them together when the time comes. Not now, obviously, because that would be highly inappropriate. Actually, on second thought, maybe we should let that relationship play out later on. It would probably be really awkward if Remus meets Tonks when she's a little kid. I married Ginny Weasley, and Ron and Hermione got married," Harry blurted out everything he could think of that was relevant.

"Wait, you beat Voldemort with Expelliarmus? Wow, that must have killed him. Literally," Sirius snorted. "Did everyone survive, though?" Sirius asked.

Harry's face fell. "No, too many people died. After you died, there was Dumbledore, Hedwig, Moody, Fred Weasley, Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey, Dobby, Snape, and way too many others."

"Aww...Moony didn't get to watch his son grow up? The Marauders really fell from grace after Hogwarts," Sirius said sadly.

"It seems like we have a chance to fix everything," Harry pointed out. "So, it's not all bad. Although, I was hoping I'd never have to see another noseless freak ever again. But alas, such is life. Wait...you haven't told anyone that you're from the future, have you?"

"I thought about it, but then I realized that the more people who know, the more vulnerable the information becomes. Voldemort is one of the best Legilimens, and we'd end up putting more people at risk. There's always Dumbledore, but he has an annoying habit of withholding information and trying to control others. I thought it better that I keep it to myself. What do you think?" Sirius asked.

Harry thought about it for a second. "Maybe that would work well for you, but I don't know if I fancy pretending to be an infant. I'm a one year old, can I even talk yet? Only being able to say 'goo goo ga ga' doesn't sound like much fun to me. But...I guess you're right that it would be much safer that way. Also, I wouldn't say no to finally being able to have somewhat of a normal childhood… It would make it much more difficult to plan things together, however. I guess you'll need to volunteer to babysit more often," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Well, how could I say no to spending more time with my precious godson?" Sirius teased. "We really should figure out what to do with-"

"Sirius! We're back!" Lily called out.

"Hey, Padfoot! I do hope Prongslet is still in one piece," James joked.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry whispered to himself quietly, not quite believing his ears. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he happily watched his parents enter his room. Yes, everything was going to be just fine. That was, if Harry had anything to do with it.


	2. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the formatting is shit, I'm still navigating AO3.

Harry studied his parents for a moment, trying to memorize everything he could about them. After all, he knew how quickly things could go awry, and he'd be damned if he didn't let himself enjoy every moment he had with his parents.

His mother's bright, green eyes exhibited kindness, and her wavy auburn hair flowed freely down her shoulders. She smelled like a mixture of peppermint and roses, and her skin looked as smooth as silk, without a blemish in sight. Just by looking her in the eyes, Harry could feel the love radiating off of her.

James, on the other hand looked almost exactly like Harry had before he'd left the other timeline. His father styled his hair differently, as it seemed he somehow made his unruly hair even messier, yet somehow, it looked far more fashionable than Harry's hair had ever been. He wore a charming smile with a mischievous glint in his eye, which reminded Harry of the Weasley twins. From the adoring look James gave him, Harry could tell that his father, too—loved him dearly.

Both of them were perfect—the pictures he'd seen didn't do them justice.

"Oh, Harry baby. Come here," Lily cooed as she picked Harry up, placing a kiss on the top of his head. James ruffled Harry's messy black hair affectionately.

Harry couldn't help himself. He used all the energy his tiny body could muster up, and threw his arms around his parents. He couldn't believe it. His _parents_. They were here. With him. Harry burst into tears, and sobbed into his mother's shoulder. _At least I'm a baby, so it's not that out of the ordinary that I'm crying._

"Aww...it's okay, sweetie," Lily comforted her son. "Sirius, did you forget to change Harry's nappy again?"

_Ugh...nappies? Why does Sirius get to be in the body of a fully functional adult, while I'm stuck as an infant wearing nappies? If anything, mental maturity wise, it should be the other way around._

"Oh...right! Alright, Prongslet! Uncle Padfoot's going to go change your nappy, because you have not yet mastered the art of bladder control," Sirius joked gleefully, winking at Harry.

Harry shot Sirius a death glare. _He's having way too much fun with my unfortunate predicament._ Harry reluctantly let go of his mother and let Sirius carry him to the loo.

"You're not actually going to do it, right?" Harry asked worriedly, while Sirius shut the door behind him. "Because seeing as I am a fully grown man (mentally, at least), that would be incredibly awkward."

"Aw, hell no. Sorry, my dear godson, I'm going to make that your responsibility. I just thought this would give us at least 20 minutes to talk. You see, I kind of have a bad reputation for taking a long time to complete this particular task."

"Oh...so that's the _real_ reason why you won't change my nappies. You lack the skill to do so," Harry joked.

"Come on! It's harder than it looks. I'm always having some kind of closure issue. Plus, I was getting better at it, but then Voldemort went and fucked everything up, and there's not a ton of nappy changing practice in Azkaban," Sirius defended himself.

"Okay, we've spent way too long talking about nappies. Seeing as I was a baby when all this happened the first time around, I don't really remember the exact timeline for when things happened. When did you get here? When do Mum and Dad perform the Fidelius Charm? And, Neville! His parents! We need to get them into hiding too…" Harry babbled on, blurting out everything they needed to handle before Halloween night.

Harry ended up learning that Sirius had arrived in the past just a mere four days before Harry had. In this time, he had convinced the Longbottoms to undergo the Fidelius Charm, and apparently was in the process of trying to figure out what to do about Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort. Obviously, they couldn't just let Sirius be the secret keeper, because while that would keep James and Lily safe, Voldemort would still be out there terrorizing and killing people.

"Wait...you said Voldemort used Horcruxes, right? So if we manage to use Avada Kedavra on him, at a minimum, his current body will be dead. Of course, before we destroy the Horcruxes, his soul will still be tied to this world. He'd probably take a while to figure out how to come back, just like last time. At least, I think that's how all this works...I mean, my family was dark, but even they weren't crazy enough to consider creating Horcruxes," Sirius said with a pensive look on his face.

"How exactly do we do this without getting ourselves killed in the process? In case you haven't noticed, I'm currently a 20 year old in the body of a wandless one year old, and you're an Azkaban escapee that was recently (for you, at least) killed by your Death Eater cousin. Voldemort isn't exactly easy to take down," Harry pointed out.

"I'll take you to Diagon Alley sometime, we'll get you a wand. Ollivander will probably be his odd self and ask questions, but he's not the kind to report any strange behavior," Sirius said quickly. "As for how to actually defeat Voldemort, I was thinking we could tell Pettigrew that I am indeed the secret keeper (even though it'll really be Dumbledore). Voldemort will come after me, and we can set up some magical traps as protection to weaken him. In his weakened state, I should be able to fire the killing curse at him, destroying his current body."

"Wait...your plan is to rig your house with booby traps...Your plan is based on _Home Alone_? " Harry asked incredulously. "No offense, but this idea sounds more like a master prank, rather than an actual plan to catch a big, bad wizard."

"Like what? No, definitely not, considering the fact that I have no idea what that is…Also, clearly you were not raised by the Marauders. A true Marauder would never underestimate the power of a prank," Sirius replied.

"Oh, it's just an old movie Dudley used to watch. It came out when we were around 10, I think. It's about a kid who catches a couple of dumbarse robbers by setting up a bunch of rather violent traps around his house. It's rather sadistic if you ask me. Hell, that's probably why it was Dudley's favorite movie, now that I think about it. Anyway, we're getting off track here. How is this going to work? Somehow, I think that Voldemort might be slightly less thick than two random Muggle burglars," Harry said skeptically. "Oh, by the way, movies are a Muggle thing it's like moving pic-"

Sirius cut Harry off mid sentence. "I know what movies are, Harry, I used to do Muggle shit all the time to piss off my parents."

"Oh, right, the flying motorbike, I forgot about that. But, anyway, we need to get back on topic. I've learned the hard way that even though your name is Sirius, you have a hard time being serious. Now, how exactly do you plan on tricking a dark wizard with booby traps?" Harry asked.

"Well, my family was rather dark, as you already know. There are many ways you can use the Cruciatus Curse as well as other dark spells to protect doorways and…" Sirius went on, explaining his plan.

XXXXXXX

Later that day, the Potter family and Sirius sat around the kitchen table. Harry sat in Lily's lap as she spoon fed him, while James and Sirius sat beside them. Harry knew he should feel weirded out that he was being fed like a child, when he was actually 20 years old, but instead, it felt comforting. Harry had dreamed of moments like this back when he'd been at his lowest points. When the Dursleys had locked him in the cupboard without food, or when the physical hits from Dudley were too much for his malnourished body to handle. Whenever he felt the most hopeless, he would dream of his parents. It felt so surreal that he was actually able to experience it firsthand.

Harry longed to say something to his parents, but he couldn't quite find the words. Plus, he'd have to word it in 'baby talk' to avoid rousing suspicion. "Ma, Prong', me love you," Harry blurted out.

Sirius snorted, accidentally spitting out his pumpkin juice as he burst into laughter. "I see you're learning baby talk. How many words do you know now? And what about me, Prongslet? Don't you love your godfather?" Sirius asked, feigning hurt.

Harry just glared at Sirius before grabbing a handful of mashed potatoes, and thrusting it Sirius's way.

 _SPLAT!_ Sirius's face was covered in mashed potatoes. "Seriously, Prongslet? And I'm not just saying that because I'm Sirius."

James roared with laughter. "That's my boy! Looks like he's not too fond of his godfather, Padfoot," James joked. "Wow, Harry, you really are _my_ son. I was worried that Lily's genes would dominate, and you'd turn into a studious geek," James said. "Not that that's a bad thing at all. No, it's a great thing to be studious. I love you, Lils," James added quickly after noticing Lily's glare.

"Oh, Harry. That's not very nice," Lily reprimanded her son, trying to hide the smile on her face. "Although, if you had to do that to someone, I'm glad it was Sirius."

"Aw, Lily, you wound me," Sirius joked as he wiped his face with a towel.

"By the way, Padfoot, Peter's coming over later tonight. We're going to discuss some of the details for the Fidelius Charm, and if he agrees to be the secret keeper, we'll perform it tonight. Of course, we'll give you the address, and Remus, as well whenever he gets back from his werewolf mission Dumbledore has him on," James informed Sirius. "I know you think Remus is the traitor, Padfoot, but he'd never do that to us. He adores Harry."

Suddenly, the lighthearted mood from earlier disappeared. "It's not Remus. I was wrong before. Don't use Peter as your secret keeper," Sirius pleaded with James.

"Why? Just last week you told us that it would be a good idea. You know, throw Voldemort off track a bit?" James asked, clearly confused by Sirius's sudden change of heart.

"It's just, I've noticed that he's been disappearing a lot lately, and his excuses just seem...off," Sirius said, and Harry knew that he was most likely using all the self control he had to not yell out 'He's a bloody death eater!'

"You think he's the traitor," James stated.

Sirius didn't say anything for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. "I can't be sure, but this is your family's lives at stake here. We can't take any risks."

"Look, I don't necessarily agree with your suspicions. Peter's one of our best mates, there's no way he'd betray us! But, I trust you, Padfoot. Besides, you were my first choice for secret keeper anyway," James replied.

"No, it can't be me either. I'd die for you, mate, you know that. And the Fidelius Charm means the location has to be willingly given. But anyone who is tortured for hours can crack. Maybe in a moment of weakness, I could give them the location. And in the eyes of the charm, it would be willingly given, because I'd want the torture to stop. No, I don't trust myself with your safety either. It needs to be someone powerful enough to withstand any kind of attack. It needs to be Dumbledore," Sirius explained.

Sirius had told Harry earlier that while he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Dumbledore because of his policy of sacrificing everyone and everything for 'the greater good', he had to admit that the man was much more equipped at protecting the Potters than Sirius was.

"Okay, Padfoot. We'll go to Hogwarts tomorrow and ask Dumbledore. He offered first anyhow, so he should be able to complete the charm pretty quickly. I can't say that I'm not shocked by you suddenly changing your mind, but I trust you completely. If you think this is best, then it's what we'll do," James declared.

His godfather gulped, and his lip quivered.

"Oi, Padfoot, mate," James added after the beginnings of tears welled up in Sirius's eyes. "Why the long face? There's no way we're going to die on you. I know we named you godfather and everything, but I think you'd corrupt Harry far too much if you had to raise him. There's no way we'd leave him in your incapable hands," James joked, which seemed to ease the tension, albeit slightly.

"Padfoo' crybaby! Crybaby!" Harry yelled out, jumping out of Lily's arms and crawling over to Sirius. "You a crybaby!" Harry declared gleefully as Sirius picked him up.

"Shut up, Harry," Sirius muttered so only Harry could hear. "You're having way too much fun with this 'baby' thing."

Lily smiled while James once again roared with laughter. "Even my son knows you're a wimp, Padfoot."

XXXXXXX

The next day, while Lily and James went to talk to Dumbledore, Sirius sneaked Harry into Diagon Alley. Sirius decided that it was probably best to floo directly to Ollivander's, so no one would see them enter. While neither of them was particularly famous (and/or notorious) at this point in time, it was better to avoid any suspicious behavior getting out.

Sirius ungracefully fell out of the fireplace at Ollivander's, nearly dropping Harry in the process.

At that moment, it seemed as though Harry really regretted eating breakfast before they'd come, as he threw up all over Ollivander's dusty wooden floor. "Thanks a lot, Sirius," Harry said sarcastically. "You couldn't have tried to make it just a little more comfortable for me? You _know_ I hate flooing!"

"Good morning," said a soft, familiar voice. "Why, isn't this a surprise? Sirius Black, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and...Harry Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Potter (née Evans). Mr Black, you possess a brilliant wand, 15 inches, with the core of ebony. Please tell me that you have not broken this work of art. It is a crime against the wizarding kind to break a wand."

"No, no, I would never get my wand broken," Sirius replied. _Not willingly, anyway._ He added silently. "No, I'm here to buy a wand for my godson."

"Oh, Mr Potter. Very curious, very curious, indeed. I wasn't expecting you for at least another ten years. What brings you here so early?" Ollivander asked, his eyes bore into Harry.

"That's not important," Sirius said dismissively. "He needs a wand."

"Yes, yes, a wand for Mr Potter. I remember selling your parents their wands. Your mother's was ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. She excelled at charms using that beauty. Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. I'm very interested in finding out which wand will choose you..." Ollivander trailed off, a blank stare taking over his face.

Ollivander mumbled some more incoherent phrases to himself, while Sirius and Harry waited impatiently.

"Are you capable of wielding a wand at such a young age?" Ollivander asked after awhile.

Harry shrugged.

"I suppose we will find out…" Ollivander muttered to himself. "Such a curious sight, so much energy, greatness..." Ollivander continued to murmur as though Sirius and Harry weren't there.

"Alright, let's see…" Ollivander said as he walked to the back shelf and pulled out a wand. "Maple and dragon heartstring. Very great for duelling. Give it a whirl."

Harry took the wand, but before he could even try to use it, Ollivander snatched it back. "Oh—no, my boy. That's not the one."

 _Not the one? Not that I doubt his abilities to match wands to wizards, but how does he know it's not that one, if Harry doesn't even get a chance to use it?_ Sirius just turned to Harry and shrugged, while they both waited for Ollivander to find Harry another wand.

After trying over 15 different wands and nearly destroying the store in the process, Ollivander finally handed Harry the wand that had chosen him in the previous timeline.

 _Will it even choose him this time? I was under the impression that the brother wand of Voldemort's only chose Harry last time, because Voldemort marked him…_ Sirius watched carefully, curious as to what would happen.

"This one is a rather peculiar combination. Eleven inches, holly and phoenix feather," Ollivander said.

Sirius detected a warm sensation in his room, and a light from the end of the wand rushed through Harry's fingertips as Harry grabbed the wand. Sirius watched as red and gold sparks shot out of the end. Sirius then noticed Harry silently wave the wand his way. It appeared as though Harry had silently performed a tickling curse on Sirius (probably as payback for the rather rough floo travel from earlier).

Sirius let out a few giggles before performing the Counter-curse. He turned around and glared at Harry.

"Very curious, very curious, indeed," Ollivander whispered mysteriously.

"What's curious?" Sirius asked, knowing that Ollivander would tell them anyway.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, and the phoenix that was used for this wand gave one other feather. It gave a feather to the wand that belongs to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Very strange, I would have thought that the two of you would need a stronger connection for his brother's wand to choose you..."

"Well—what do you think that means?" Harry asked, looking completely unfazed.

"Perhaps—you are destined to match his greatness. He did terrible things, yes—but those terrible things—were also very great. You must be chosen for a reason, Mr Potter. You are the one chosen by the Fates, to either save us, or doom us all. I feel a great surge of power from you, Mr Potter. An amount of power even most adult wizards fail to possess. Yes, you are the Chosen One, but it is your choice to be the light, or the darkness."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Ollie," Sirius said quickly. "It was not at all creepy. I'm afraid that Harry and I are in a bit of a rush, so if we could just pay and go, that would be great."

"Of course, Mr Black. I expect that Mr Potter has great things in store for us that he needs to get to, straight away."


	3. The Secret Keeper

After deciding that Harry was to hide his wand with a Disillusionment Charm, and keep it on his person at all times (only to be used in case of an emergency), he and Sirius flood back to Godric's Hollow. This time however, Harry elected to stand next to Sirius and hold his hand, as he didn't trust his godfather to not almost drop him again. Granted, Harry still found Floo Travel to be a rather unpleasant experience, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting his head cracked open due to Sirius's carelessness.

While Harry loved his godfather to death (literally, seeing as he nearly ran after him into the Veil of Death), he often wondered what his parents had been smoking that allowed them to entrust _Sirius_ with something as important as the welfare of _their child_. The man was rather incompetent in the art of child rearing, and ended up being so reckless that he prioritized revenge over the wellbeing of his godson. Harry deduced that their only other options had been the traitorous rat, Peter, or Remus, who while seemingly the better choice, probably wouldn't have accepted the responsibility of raising a child due to his furry little problem. After all, he had freaked out when he had first found out about Tonks's pregnancy, even though he did eventually come around.

Harry and Sirius ended up tumbling out of the fireplace, and crashing straight into a cat. _Oh yeah, we did have a cat, didn't we? I do recall Mum mentioning that I nearly killed the thing while riding my toy broomstick in that old letter to Sirius that I found…But...why haven't I seen it until now? Either I'm the least observant person ever (and I'll admit, I did used to be quite unobservant), or this cat really knows how to hold a grudge, and has been avoiding me..._

As said cat was greeting him, Harry found himself unable to look away from it. There was something very familiar about that cat… "Crookshanks?" Harry asked incredulously.

The cat just purred in response.

Harry gently grabbed his collar (after a quick inspection, he came to the realization that the cat was a boy), and read the name tag. "Stanley Potter...interesting. I wonder who named you."

Sirius reached over to pet Stanley (Crookshanks?). "This must be the runaway cat, Stanley. Lily's been putting up lost cat posters since I arrived here. Wow, he really does look like Crookshanks, doesn't he?"

Stanley purred again, before resting his paw on Sirius's lap.

"Shit, you _are_ Crookshanks. No wonder you were so quick to recognize me! You were friends with Padfoot back in the day. Wow, I'd always thought that you two looked rather similar, but I thought it was just my crazy post-Azkaban brain, trying to find ties to my old life. I never did properly thank you for all your help catching that bastard rat, did I? Well, I guess you haven't done it yet, but thank you, nonetheless. Even though the Death Eater arsehole did end up getting away in the end, thanks to Snivellus."

"Not that I'm blaming Remus for anything, but wasn't it more his fault than Snape's? I mean, if he hadn't forgotten to take his Wolfsbane potion, Wormtail would not have gotten away," Harry pointed out reasonably.

Sirius waved his hand in dismissal. "Details, details. Besides, if Snivelly had just listened to us rather than let his old grudge cloud his judgement, we could have easily caught Wormtail."

Harry decided that trying to convince Sirius that Snape wasn't _all_ bad was a lost cause. The man had his flaws, yes, and while Harry still hadn't completely forgiven him for bullying an innocent 11 year old child, Harry still recognized and appreciated the man's bravery. Though he wasn't foolish enough to think that he and Snape, or God forbid, Sirius and Snape would end up being friends in this timeline. Perhaps he could make an effort, but...that seemed like far too much work. Harry eventually decided that he would try to not go out of his way to antagonize Snape, as long as Snape remained somewhat cordial with him. But if Snape decided to bully him and his friends again, Harry would not stand for it. War hero or not, Snape had no right to terrorize a child so badly that he ended up being said child's _worst fear_. Hopefully he would not have to deal with the git (he may have been brave, but he was still a _git_ ) until he went to Hogwarts. But with his luck, his mum would probably end up making up with Snape and he'd have to deal with the man much sooner than that.

While Sirius worked on his dark magic traps for Voldemort, Harry found comfort while petting Stanley/Crookshanks. He missed his old friends, especially Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, and Stanley gave him a connection to his old life. Perhaps he wouldn't be meeting them in this timeline for quite a few years, but at least he had Stanley to remind him of them. _I wonder how he survived the attack on Halloween?_

"You are one brave little cat, aren't you, Stanley," Harry said. "You didn't let Voldy scare you, did you?" Perhaps Harry was projecting, but he could've sworn he heard Stanley hiss when he'd mentioned Voldemort's name.

Harry deduced that Stanley had survived the attack because Voldemort either hadn't noticed Stanley, or had decided to show mercy and allow the cat to live. Perhaps he was one of those weirdos who loved animals, and hated humans. Hitler had been a vegetarian, hadn't he? Maybe Voldemort could find some more supporters in the members of PETA. Harry snorted at the thought of vegans protesting in the name of Voldemort. Now _that_ would be a sight to see.

XXXXXXXX

Later on that day, while Lily was in the kitchen preparing tea, Harry sat in James's lap in the sitting room, while Sirius played peekaboo with him. Harry couldn't help but be slightly annoyed with his godfather. He understood that they had to play the part of godfather and infant, but peekaboo? That game was unbearably tedious and repetitive. Although, he wouldn't put it past his godfather to be immature enough to enjoy the game. Sirius _was_ rather childish, and did seem to be genuinely having fun with it.

"So Dumbledore should be coming over later to perform the Fidelius Charm. Of course, you're welcome to stay, as we'll be telling you the location anyway," James informed Sirius.

"Good, good. You're not telling Peter, right?" Sirius double checked.

"No, we're not. But Padfoot, I have to tell you, I can't imagine Peter being a traitor. I mean, he's been with us through everything. I trust you with all my heart, of course, mate, but I really hope you're wrong," James replied.

"Trust me, I wish I was," Sirius said sadly, probably thinking about what had happened the last time they'd trusted Peter with their lives.

"James, get your lazy arse in here and help me!" Lily called out to her husband.

"Coming, honey," James replied. "Sorry, Padfoot. Duty calls. You know better than anyone else what it is like to face Lily's wrath," James chuckled.

After James left the room, Sirius turned to Harry and spoke. "Here, put this on." Sirius handed Harry a rather atrocious looking bracelet, while putting on an identical one himself.

"Ugh, what is this shit? I thought a member of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black would have a bit more style," Harry teased.

"For your information, I decided that practical use was more important than style, considering that these tools may help us defeat a certain dark wizard while also keeping us both alive at the same time. Basically, they'll light up and vibrate if either one of us is in imminent danger. So while you can't be in my house while Voldemort is interrogating me, on the off chance that I need help taking out the motherfucker, you'll be able to Apparate over. I'd recommend putting a Disillusionment Charm on it so James and Lily don't ask questions about it," Sirius said matter-of-factly.

"I know that this is the best plan we've got, but I still don't like the idea of you facing off against Voldemort all by your lonesome. Trust me, Sirius, if this thing even lights up the slightest bit, I am Apparating my arse right over there," Harry said seriously.

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Prongslet," Sirius replied. "Now, I can't be sure that Voldemort will come to my house on Halloween, but I will assume that Peter will take his time telling his master the information about me supposedly being the Secret Keeper. After all, the coward is terrified of Voldemort and is probably scared that he'll get the Crutacius Curse put on him, as Voldemort tends to do that more often to his less...favorable servants."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Nevertheless," Sirius continued, "I think it's probably safer for me to set the traps sooner rather than later, before lying to Peter and informing him that I am the Secret Keeper. I'll try to get it done later tonight, and tell the rat tomorrow."

Harry agreed to the plan, but before he could ask any further questions, his mother was calling them into the kitchen for tea. He could only hope that Sirius's plan worked, because he wasn't sure if he could lose all of his loved ones a second time.

XXXXXXXXX

Sirius impatiently waited for Wormtail in the Leaky Cauldron, tapping his fingers restlessly in anticipation. _Please, dear Merlin, just let this plan go smoothly. James and Lily have to survive. Harry has to grow up with his parents..._

Sirius took a deep breath as he spotted Wormtail. It took all the self-control he had to not pounce on the poor excuse of a human being and kill him right there. "Wormy, over here," Sirius called out, trying to sound warm.

"H-h-hi, Sirius," Wormtail stuttered out.

"Hello, Wormtail," Sirius replied tersely. _Shit, keep your cool, Sirius. You have to play the part of a trusting friend._ Sirius reluctantly embraced the traitor as he would've done in the past.

"I-I-I understand that you have something important to tell me, Padfoot?" Wormtail inquired.

"Yes, Wormy," Sirius replied, the old nickname tasting sour coming out of his mouth.

"W-What is it? Is something wrong? Does it have something to do with Lily, James, and baby Harry?" Wormtail asked, sounding far too eager.

"Yeah, it has something to do with James and Lily," Sirius said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible.

Wormtail nodded excitedly.

_Merlin, his face looks so punchable right now..._

Sirius recollected himself, then said, "As you know, Voldemort has been after Harry, so James and Lily have elected to go into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. They have made me Secret Keeper, of course. I just thought that you should know this, as one of our best friends. They've decided not to tell anyone, not even Remus—for safety reasons." This was a lie, as James had decided that he wanted to tell Remus as soon as he came back from his werewolf mission, but seeing as Remus was going to be out of the country for quite some time, Wormtail couldn't possibly know that.

"I think that's a good idea," Wormtail responded. "Y-You never know who could be a traitor during these t-trying times — and with Moony being a werewolf — it's even more likely that he'd switch to the Dark...I mean, You-Know-Who's side."

Sirius nodded, biting his tongue to keep himself from cussing out Wormtail and defending Remus's honour.

"Anyway," Sirius said after taking another deep breath. "I just thought you should know that I plan to keep them safe by keeping this secret from any...untrustworthy people. I just...I know that you'd _never_ betray us, so that's why I feel comfortable telling you. James and Lily do not want this information getting out, since they do not want Death Eaters knocking on my door and trying to torture their location out of me, as you can probably understand. Which means we need to keep this on the down low, you understand?" Sirius asked.

"O-o-of course, Padfoot. I am glad that you trust m-m-me so much with this important information. I won't tell a soul," Peter lied through his teeth nervously.

Sirius grimaced in disgust, though he quickly tried to hide it with a strained smile. Wormtail was such a terrible liar, how could he have missed this the first go around? "I wouldn't expect any less of you, Wormy. We all trust you with our lives." _At least, we did…_

XXXXXXXXX

**October 31, 1991**

"I understand that you have news regarding the location of the Potters, Wormtail," Voldemort sneered at the man. If it weren't for the bumbling fool's useful connection to one Harry Potter, he would have discarded the man long ago. He wasn't much use magic wise, and was more of an opportunist, rather than a loyal servant.

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Wormtail wheezed out nervously. "T-t-t-they have been under the Fidelius Charm t-three weeks now, and t-their Secret Keeper is Sirius Black."

"Three weeks? And just _how long_ have _you_ known this _rather important_ tidbit of information, Wormtail?" Voldemort spat out, his eyes glowering at Wormtail venomously.

"S-Sirius just told me last week. He'd been a bit busy, but wanted to make sure I-I knew, my Lord," Wormtail cried out hysterically, his lower lip trembling.

"YOU HAVE KNOWN FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK AND DID NOT BOTHER TO DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR MASTER?!" Voldemort screamed menacingly.

"I-I-I a-apologize, my Lord. But you do not understand w-what S-Sirus would do to me if he found out I was working for you. H-h-he would have killed me," Wormtail sobbed pathetically.

"And what's to stop me from killing you, Wormtail?" Voldemort asked threateningly.

"M-m-my Lord, I swear, this will not happen again…" Wormtail replied, getting on his knees. "I swear my loyalty to you, my Lord."

Voldemort sighed. "Very well, Wormtail. At least you have proved to be somewhat useful in providing information. Consider this a warning, for my mercy only extends so far."

"B-b-bless you, my Lord. Thank you, sir. My Lord, you do not understand what this means to me," Wormtail croaked out in response.

"My mercy does not mean that you escape punishment, Wormtail. CRUCIO!" Voldemort cried out sadistically.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sirius felt a sense of trepidation as he waited for Voldemort to show his ugly face. He'd been somewhat surprised that Wormtail had taken an entire week to rat him out to Voldemort, but then again, as he had mentioned before, he was a weakling who was probably terrified of his master. And last time, he hadn't betrayed the Potters until Halloween, and he supposed that they hadn't changed enough to make this time any different from the previous time. He and Harry had worked out some rather nasty dark curses to protect his house, including rigging all of the doorways with the Cruciatus Curse, and placing several cutting curses on innocent looking objects around the house. He could only hope that it would be enough to stop Voldemort. But as he had declared long ago, he would rather die than betray his friends. If he died, he could only hope that James, Lily, and Harry would at least be safe.

 _CRASH!_ It seemed as though Voldemort had arrived. "Sirius Black, blood traitor and Secret Keeper of the Potters. If you would like to live, then I suggest you tell me where they are!" Voldemort yelled from outside the house as he used Reducto to tear down his door.

 _Sheesh Voldy, just step inside! The fucking curse doesn't work unless you step through the door!_ "Wow, you couldn't have knocked first? Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was rude to break down doors? You should really learn some manners, Riddle," Sirius taunted.

"Don't call me by my no good Muggle father's name! I am Lord Voldemort, and you shall treat me with respect!" Voldemort declared, finally stepping through the doorway. He let out a quiet whimper, before recollecting himself. "Cruciatus Curse, very clever Black. You could've done great as one of my prized servants. Unfortunately for you, your powers in the dark arts are inconsequential compared to mine!" Voldemort laughed menacingly as he easily destroyed the doorway's Cruciatus Curse trap.

 _Well, shit. I'm dead._ Sirius grabbed his wand and fired off a few hexes in Voldemort's direction, only to be disarmed almost instantaneously. _Fuck._

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry smiled as he listened to his mum's soothing voice, singing a Muggle lullaby. James was in the back adding some rather annoying additions, including some beatboxing and rather offkey high note runs. Harry could not help but laugh at his father's antics. He was worried sick about Sirius, knowing that this would probably be the night that Voldemort confronted his godfather, but he could only hope that Sirius would be able to take him on.

Suddenly, Harry felt a light buzz on his wrist. _The bracelets, Sirius!_ "SIRIUS!" Harry cried out anxiously, before Apparating to his godfather's house.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lily Potter looked fondly at her son as she finished singing a lullaby. Her baby boy was the greatest thing in the world...

Out of nowhere, Harry's breathing picked up, before he screamed, "SIRIUS!"

With a loud _pop!,_ Harry was gone. Almost as if he'd Apparated away. But...that was impossible, even accidental magic didn't usually involve such complicated magic.

"HARRY! OH MY GOD, HARRY!" Lily screamed. "WHERE DID HE GO?!"

Lily's husband, James, immediately rushed to her side. "It must've been accidental magic, he can't have gone far, we'll find him. He's got to be somewhere in this house!"

"But...James. He said Sirius's name...You don't think that Harry has somehow gone to his place, do you?" Lily asked fearfully. "Voldemort's followers probably think he's the Secret Keeper, even if we didn't tell anyone but Peter. What if they're both in trouble?"

"There's no way he could have gone that far...No baby should have that kind of power. His magic is still developing. We need to contact Dumbledore immediately," James said. "If Harry's in danger, we need all the help we can get. You search around the immediate area, I'll go get Dumbledore!"

XXXXXX

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort cried out. "Now, if you want to live, Black, you'll tell me where the Potters are!"

"Never!" Black spat out. "You'll have to kill me!"

Voldemort was growing more impatient by the second. It was clear that interrogating Black was no use. The man had such loyalty to his friends that it seemed no amount of pain would get him to give up his location. "Very well, Black. You could have had a much different life had you made the right choice. But now, you're at your end...I would never deny a dying man their final wish... _AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

At that moment, a baby landed right in front of Black with a _POP!_ No, it couldn't be...Harry Potter? How was that even possible? Babies could not Apparate!

The green light of the killing curse shot meant for Black hit the infant, and in that instant, Voldemort felt a sharp pain pierce throughout his body.

"NO! HARRY!" Black yelled.

This couldn't be happening, how could Voldemort's own killing curse be rebounding?


	4. The Boy-Who-Lived (Again)

**October 31, 1981**

Previously…

_"CRUCIO!" Voldemort cried out. "Now, if you want to live, Black, you'll tell me where the Potters are!"_

_"Never!" Black spat out. "You'll have to kill me!"_

_Voldemort was growing more impatient by the second. It was clear that interrogating Black was no use. The man had such loyalty to his friends that it seemed no amount of pain would get him to give up his location. "Very well, Black. You could have had a much different life had you made the right choice. But now, you're at your end...I would never deny a dying man their final wish...AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_At that moment, a baby landed right in front of Black with a POP! No, it couldn't be...Harry Potter? How was that even possible? Babies could not Apparate!_

_The green light of the killing curse shot meant for Black hit the infant, and in that instant, Voldemort felt a sharp pain pierce throughout his body._

_"NO! HARRY!" Black yelled._

_This couldn't be happening, how could Voldemort's own killing curse be rebounding?_

XXXXXXXXX

Harry felt a sharp pain in his forehead, before the bright green light rebounded off of him and onto his perpetrator. However, Harry wasn't lucky enough to be completely unaffected, as the force behind the killing curse sent him toppling to the ground. Fortunately, he otherwise seemed to be unscathed, and gave his distressed godfather a quick thumbs up to signal that he was alive. Sirius sighed in relief, before collapsing onto the floor alongside him. It seemed as though the Cruciatus Curse had taken a lot out of him.

"AHHHHHH!" Voldemort screamed. "But...what? That's not possible...what?"

Voldemort continued to cry out in pain, with both a look of confusion and horror etched onto his face. The rebounded killing curse appeared to hit him more aggressively than a typical killing curse, as his body began to crumble to the ground as if he'd been burned (similar to what had happened to Quirrell all those years ago).

At that moment, Dumbledore appeared with a _pop!_ Beside him stood a very distraught looking James and Lily Potter.

"Oh, Harry, my baby boy!" Lily cried out, rushing towards her son. "Oh, you're okay, thank God that you're okay," she sobbed.

Even under duress, Lily's voice was still mellifluous to Harry's ears. He hung onto his mother tightly, and buried his face into her hair. Though Harry felt comforted by his mother's presence, he was still very worried about Sirius, as his godfather had just endured the Cruciatus Curse for an extended period of time.

"Padfoo' okay?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Sirius is unconscious, but he should be alright after Madam Promfrey gets him some healing potions. Do no fret, young Harry, your godfather is a strong man," Dumbledore replied, his eyes boring deep into Harry.

Though Harry had been a bit miffed with her at the time, he was now very grateful to Hermione for forcing him to master Occlumency at the age of 18. Harry felt a familiar probe in his mind as Dumbledore tried to get a read on him, and was glad he was able to protect his mind against an intruder (even a "well meaning" one). He instead just projected thoughts of sadness and distress to the forefront of his mind, so the headmaster wouldn't think he was being blocked out, but think that Harry (who was merely an infant), did not have much going on in his head.

A dark shaped cloud shaped like a snake abruptly flew out from where Voldemort's body had been. "Mark my words, I will kill the Potter boy when I come back," Voldemort hissed.

"Be gone, Tom," Dumbledore demanded. "You've lost this battle."

Voldemort hissed angrily, before his spirit flew rather aggressively through Dumbledore, and abruptly left.

"What just happened? How did this happen?" James asked Dumbledore.

"As of now, I only have theories as to what went on tonight. Perhaps when Sirius is awake, he can fill in the gaps," Dumbledore responded, furrowing his eyebrows.

XXXXXXXXX

After Dumbledore had helped the Potters and Sirius into the hospital wing at Hogwarts, the old man went to go find Wormtail. If Sirius was to be believed, Wormtail had told Tom Riddle about the Potter's Fidelius Charm. Wormtail's betrayal had not phased the headmaster. Dumbledore had always seen the boy as a follower, an opportunist who followed the biggest bully on the playground. He'd done it with James, Sirius, and Remus, at Hogwarts, leeching off of their popularity. It was not that farfetched to believe that he would be doing the same with Voldemort. No, the headmaster couldn't really care less about a relatively powerless wizard working for Voldemort.

Instead, Dumbledore concerned himself with trying to figure out what exactly had transpired between Sirius, Harry, and Voldemort earlier that night. The headmaster himself, was rather baffled by the events that had unfolded earlier. How had young Harry gathered enough power to Apparate to Sirius's house, and how had he survived the killing curse? Dumbledore had heard of theories that blood magic between a parent and a child could potentially allow the child to survive the killing curse, if the parent were to sacrifice themselves in exchange for their child's life. But for a child to just randomly Apparate in, with accidental magic no less, and survive a killing curse, was unheard of. There was something amiss with the Potter boy, and not knowing what it was made Dumbledore feel extremely uneasy.

XXXXXXX

Remus Lupin had just finished his mission for the Order of the Phoenix, and though he had made little progress with the werewolves, he himself felt rather content, as he was just glad to be home. Remus let out a sigh of relief as he took off his rather tattered coat, kicked his feet up on the coffee table, and laid back. His relaxation however, lasted no more than a minute, as he was soon interrupted by an urgent message from one of his best friends.

A bright blue stag Patronus trotted into his sitting room, and the voice of none other than James Potter spoke anxiously. "Moony, Dumbledore said that you just got back from your mission. Come to the hospital wing at Hogwarts immediately. It's Padfoot, he's been hurt badly. I can't say much more right now, but just get here as soon as you can. Just...don't tell Wormtail, please. We have reason to believe that he's working for Voldemort."

_Sirius is hurt? Wormtail is working for Voldemort? Oh James, this better be a master prank of yours…_

Remus took a deep breath, before making his way to Hogwarts. It wouldn't do him any good to worry too much before he knew the whole story. He prayed to Merlin that his friends, no, his family, were all okay.

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry pretended to sleep in his father's arms as they waited for Sirius to wake up. Madam Pomphrey had told them that Sirius should be expected to wake up any time now, but that he'd be very fragile for the next few weeks. She also threatened to kick the Potters out if they "disturbed her patient".

"Dumbledore's gone to find Peter. He's going to check Wormtail for the Dark Mark, and question him under Veritaserum before he can come visit Sirius. Apparently, he agrees with Sirius's suspicions, especially after what happened tonight," James informed his wife.

"Oh, poor Pete. He'll be so scared when Dumbledore accuses him of something like that! At least once he's cleared, he will be able to see Sirius," Lily said sympathetically.

"You don't think he really is the spy, do you?" James asked. "I mean, Padfoot was right, Peter has been disappearing a lot lately, and he seems a bit on edge…"

"James, honey, I think we're all a bit on edge. There is a war going on, after all," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. I just...Sirius said that Peter was the only person he had told about the Fidelius Charm. I know a lot of Voldemort's followers would automatically assume that the secret keeper was him anyway, but it's just so weird that soon after he lies to Peter about being the secret keeper, Voldemort just shows up on his doorstep? Seems a bit odd, don't you think? I just...I really hope that we are all wrong about this, I really do…" James said.

Harry opened his eyes, and used his tiny hands to rub his father's back in an attempt to comfort him. "Me wuv you, Daddy," Harry whispered into his father's ear.

"I love you too, Prongslet," James responded, kissing the top of Harry's head.

As James rocked Harry back and forth, Harry knew he should feel awkward as he was really a grown man, but he found that he quite enjoyed the parental affection that had been missing in his previous lifetime.

"James!" Remus called out, gasping for air as he ran towards Sirius's bed. "I came as soon as I got your message, what happened?"

"Moony!" Harry called out, jumping out of his father's arms and crawling towards Remus.

He knew he was acting rather childish, but hey, he was being reunited with the man who had been his first direct connection to his parents, and had died in battle, sacrificing his life in hopes of a better future for his son. Harry believed that he had a right to be childish and clingy under the current circumstances. He probably would've had a similar reaction to seeing Sirius if he hadn't been in a state of shock, having just come back to the past. Besides, he was playing the role of an infant anyway.

"Hello, Harry," Remus replied with a slight smile on his face as he picked Harry up. His smile disappeared upon seeing Sirius's unconscious state. "Oh, Padfoot. What happened to him?" Remus asked James.

James explained the events that Remus had missed while he'd been away. Starting from having Dumbledore as a secret keeper, and Sirius as a decoy (and how Sirius believed Wormtail to be the traitor). "...And then Harry called out Sirius's name and suddenly vanished from his crib. We thought it was accidental magic, but to be able to apparate that far accidentally? It's almost unheard of. When Lily, Dumbledore, and I arrived at Sirius's place, Sirius had been knocked out and-"

"Not talking about me, are you, Prongs?" Sirius asked. "Don't you know that it is rather rude to talk about someone behind their back. Well, I suppose in my case, it's more talk about them while unconscious, but it's still extremely rude," he quipped.

Harry immediately jumped out of Remus's arms, and tried to run to his godfather. Unfortunately for him, his one year old self didn't have the best balance, and he tripped over his own feet. Fortunately, his head landed right on Sirius's mattress, so he wasn't hurt too badly.

"FUCK!" Harry exclaimed, forgetting that he was supposed to be an innocent child. Harry quickly covered his mouth. "Whoops," he muttered to himself, sheepishly crawling into Sirius's bed and lying down next to him.

The tension in the room from earlier broke, as Sirius and James burst out laughing, and Remus tried to hold back a smile. "Harry!" Lily cried out. "Where did you learn that word?!" Lily asked. She turned to James and glowered at him.

James held his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me! I'd never do something as stupid as that, knowing I'd have to face your wrath. If anything, he might have learned it from you, considering the fact that I'm pretty sure you have said the word 'arse' while Harry was in the house." James then went silent. Probably because he'd noticed Lily's glare turn downright murderous, and decided that for the sake of his well being, it was probably better if he stopped talking.

Harry sat up in the bed. "Padfoo'!" he yelled out excitedly, pointing his finger at Sirius. Harry grinned to himself. Being a child did have its perks when it came to getting back at his loving, yet annoying godfather."

"Thanks, pup," Sirius glared at Harry as if to say, 'you're going to pay for that later'.

Seeing as Sirius had just spent a long period of time enduring the Cruciatus Curse for the sake of protecting her family, it seemed as though Harry's mother had taken pity on him, and let him off the hook. For the time being, at least.

After the group took turns hugging Sirius and expressing their relief that he wasn't dead, James finally addressed the elephant in the room. "So, what happened there tonight?"

"I think I'd like to hear this, as well," Dumbledore said quietly as he walked into the room. "I am sorry to inform you all that Peter Pettigrew has just been apprehended by the Aurors. He was found to possess the Dark Mark, and admitted under Veritaserum that he has been working for Voldemort for some time now. He also confessed to informing Voldemort that he believed Sirius to be the Secret Keeper," he added regretfully. "I know what it is like to have someone you trusted deeply, betray that trust, but I must ask that you please let the Aurors handle this. It would not do you well to take the law into your own hands." The older wizard's eyes bore into Sirius.

Everyone in the room save Harry and Sirius gasped in shock at the revelation. Harry was about to say something to break the tension, but Sirius beat him to it.

"I have no idea why you just insinuated that I would be reckless enough to try to get revenge, killing the rat myself. I am much more mature than that. I am deeply hurt by your assumptions, Dumbledore," Sirius said, obviously feigning hurt. "As long as the bloody rat doesn't try to play a big part in Voldemort's 'big comeback', the Aurors can do what they want with him," he added nonchalantly.

While Harry rolled his eyes, the rest of the room stared at Sirius as if he had grown a second head. For a rational Sirius was baffling to anyone who had ever met the man.

"I am glad you feel that way, Sirius. That is a very mature way of thinking," Dumbledore commended Sirius.

"No, don't call me the 'm word'! I will stay forever young and awesome, thank you _very much_ ," Sirius gasped as he clutched his chest theatrically.

Sirius was definitely continuing to confirm Harry's belief that he was more dramatic than a teenage girl on her period. And in their teenage years, Ginny and Hermione could definitely be dramatic, even when it wasn't their 'time of the month'.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, but he did not say anything in response to the younger man's antics. "What I would like to know, Sirius, is a version of the night's events, from your point of view."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After mulling over Sirius's explanation from the hospital wing in his office later that night, Dumbledore was still no closer to figuring out how young Harry had survived. He'd gotten a feeling that Sirius wasn't being completely truthful with him, but as the younger man was a very accomplished Occlums, Legilimency wasn't particularly useful against him. This frustrated the elderly headmaster to no end, and he vowed to figure out what had really happened that night sooner or later. He had saved the memory in his Pensive, and would definitely keep reviewing it for clues.

The important thing at the moment, was that Voldemort was without a body, which meant that Dumbledore had time to plan a way to win the war. If the prophecy was correct, then young Harry would play a crucial role in the Dark Lord's downfall, even if it meant that he may not survive himself. While Dumbledore felt bad essentially raising the boy like a pig for slaughter, he told himself that one life was a small price to pay for the greater good.

That Halloween night, Dumbledore watched as wizards from all over took to the streets to celebrate, raising their glasses to Harry Potter, who had been dubbed the "Boy-Who-Lived".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**July 31, 1985**

"Happy Birthday dear, Harry. Happy Birthday to you!" The group chorused as Harry blew out five candles.

In attendance were James, Lily, Remus (who was looking rather ill and tired, as there would full moon tonight, but insisted on being there for Harry regardless of his physical discomfort), Sirius, Alice and Frank Longbottom, and their son, Neville.

While his parents had offered to throw him a lavish party wherever he wanted, Harry had elected for a quiet, family affair in their backyard at Godric's Hollow. Seeing as wizard children didn't attend school prior to Hogwarts, he didn't exactly have many friends his age (his physical age, anyway), so he didn't really see the point in having a party at some fancy place. Now that he thought about it though, excluding the "blood-purity" group of wizards who frequently held gatherings in hopes of initiating the youngsters into joining the "high society", the rest of the wizarding world's children did not have many opportunities for social interaction. No wonder so many people at Hogwarts seemed to lack basic social skills.

Since the Potters and Longbottoms had been good friends at Hogwarts, Neville and Harry had grown up together. Apparently, Frank had been the only non-Marauder boy in Gryffindor in their year, so he'd often been the subject of their pranks. Of course, the Marauders had offered him a spot in their group, but he'd rejected, saying that while he could appreciate their sense of humor, he'd been far too mature to join in on their antics.

James, Sirius, Alice, and Frank also worked closely together in the Auror department, while Lily had a job working closely with none other than Severus Snape, brewing potions at St Mungos. Fortunately, Harry had not yet had the pleasure of meeting the man. Though his mother had invited the greasy haired man to their house many times, Snape always seemed to have an excuse to not make it (probably because Sirius and Remus practically lived there, and James actually _did_ live there). But seeing as Snape had put in his resignation in order to take a job teaching potions at Hogwarts, Harry assumed he would not have to deal with the man for quite some time.

"Time to open presents!" James announced, waving his wand to clear the table of dirty dishes.

"James, honey, can you take the pictures? The baby is kicking like crazy, and my back is _killing_ me." Harry's mother did look rather uncomfortable, which was understandable, considering the fact that she was nine months pregnant.

James quickly agreed, as he and Harry both knew that at this stage in Lily's pregnancy, the answer to everything she said had to be, "yes".

Harry grabbed a present that was rather poorly wrapped. While the wrapping was lumpy in places to the point that the gift almost looked round, Harry could tell it was a book.

"Sorry, Harry. I tried really hard to wrap it well, but I kept giving myself paper cuts…" Neville trailed off, nervously. "Sorry, I don't even know if you'll like it. I tried really hard to find you a good gift you see, but you've got everything and I couldn't decide…" Neville looked down. "Sorry."

While Neville was a bit less insecure this time around, as he didn't have a grandmother constantly making him feel inferior to his parents, the boy was still rather shy. It didn't help that his extended family frequently whispered behind his back, fearing that he was a Squib (since he had not shown a lick of accidental magic as of yet). Harry was working on getting Neville to see just how great he really was.

"It looks fantastic, Neville," Harry smiled at his best friend. Harry tore off the lumpy wrapping to find a scrapbook full of pictures. Harry smiled as he flipped through it. It was filled with pictures of him and Neville with their families throughout the years, as well as pictures of him with Sirius and Remus.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I really didn't know what to get you because you have everything and you're so good at everything, so it's not like I could get you a book on how to do something…" Neville repeated his sentiment from earlier. "And Mum said that the best presents come from the heart, so I asked her to help me find pictures-"

"I love it, Neville. I think it is brilliant," Harry said gratefully. "Thanks, mate," Harry said, embracing his friend. Neville was a bit surprised, but accepted the hug, clearly touched.

Harry moved on to unwrap the rest of his presents excitedly. At the moment, he really did feel five years old. The Dursleys had never given him anything more than an old sock for his birthday (that is, on the rare occasion that they actually _remembered_ his birthday), and he couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement to be unwrapping his birthday gifts. Even though he'd had birthday parties and gifts every year since he'd gone back in time, the excitement of finally getting to have a happy childhood never wore off.

He ended up getting a Nimbus 1990 from his parents, a broomstick servicing kit from Remus, a copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from Neville's parents, and book called _500 Pranks to Play on Your Worst Enemies and Your Best Friends,_ along with an entire bucket of Dungbombs from Sirius.

Harry read Sirius's note out loud. "These things will come in handy to use against Snivellus once you start at Hogwarts. Who is Snivellus?" Harry asked innocently.

"Sirius! Stop corrupting my son! _Severus_ is one of my oldest friends, and I will not have you pitting my son against him!" Lily scolded her husband's best friend.

Sirius glared at Harry. "You weren't supposed to read that out loud!"

Harry just smiled innocently and shrugged. "Then you should've put a warning on that note. I _am_ only five years old, I couldn't have possibly known any better."

"A little help here, mate? You wouldn't actually let your wife kill me, would you?" Sirius pleaded to James.

"Sorry, mate. I know how to pick my battles. You're on your own," James chucked.

Harry laughed as he watched his hormonal, pregnant mother nearly murder his godfather. Ah, this was _the life_!

XXXXXXX

**August 4, 1985**

"Great news, Prongslet! My dear old mum has finally kicked the bucket!" Sirius announced gleefully. Sirius was once again "baby-sitting" Harry while Lily and James were at St Mungos. Lily had gone into labor earlier that day, and Sirius was to bring Harry to see his new baby brother or sister after the birth was over.

"And...this is good news because…" Harry inquired.

"You mean besides the fact that she was a cruel, vile, blood-purity crazed, Voldemort loving, wretched woman? Because this means that I finally inherit all assets of the most noble and ancient house of Black. Did you not say that one of the Horcruxes was currently in Kreacher's possession?"

"Oh, yeah. Your brother, Regulus, defied Voldemort at the last minute, and died trying to destroy a Horcrux, replacing the real one with a counterfeit. Of course, he thought there was only one, and never figured out how to destroy it, but it is the thought that counts. Although, it would've been nice to know that the locket was a fake before Dumbledore and I went down to that cave last time…" Harry said, shuddering as he remembered the Inferi.

"Wait, Regulus, as in my baby brother, Regulus, defied Voldemort? Are you telling me that you've known for the past four years, and didn't bother to tell me until now?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Really? How did that not come up? Hmm...I must've forgotten to mention that," Harry said apologetically. "But did you not wonder how one of Voldemort's soul pieces ended up in your house in the _first place_?"

"Well, I just assumed that because of my family's dark disposition, it wasn't that far fetched for them to have something like that. I mean, they worshipped Voldemort. I bet dear old Mum would've married the guy if presented with the opportunity," Sirius shuddered at the thought. "Of course, she did not know that he was a 'filthy half-blood'..." Sirius added. "Oh, Reg…" Sirius said sadly.

Harry gave Sirius a few minutes to process the information before finally asking the big question. "So, what's the plan, Padfoot?"


	5. Alaina Lily Potter

**August 4th, 1985**

Harry and Sirius arrived outside Grimmauld Place, apparating next to the dumpsters behind the building to avoid being seen by Muggles. "Hey, Sirius. If your parents hated Muggles so much, then why did they choose to live in a Muggle neighborhood? Wouldn't they have to see Muggles on a daily basis that way? Why didn't they just move to Godric's Hollow or something?"

"Don't ask me. Mum and Dad never were very logical. But from what I understand, many, many generations ago, a Black ancestor of mine coveted the 'beautiful' (in their eyes anyway, I still think it is dreadful, mind you) house, and Confunded some Muggles into leaving the vicinity. I guess family stature outweighed their hatred of Muggles. I mean, don't get me wrong, they really did hate Muggles. There is a reason that they decided to charm the house to be hidden out of view from Muggles," Sirius replied. Sirius grabbed his wand from his holster and tapped the wall between numbers 11 and 13. Suddenly, the building magically expanded, revealing Number 12, Grimmauld Place. "We should probably put the Fidelius Charm on this place. Just in case we need to use it to hide Horcruxes or something. We can perform it sometime later, I'll be the Secret Keeper."

Harry nodded in agreement. That made sense. "Remember, be kind to Kreacher. He actually became a good House-elf and a loyal part of the Potter family in my time."

"Ugh, do I have to?" Sirius whined.

"If you don't want to end up getting killed because your House-elf ends up betraying you, then yes," Harry replied fervently. Sometimes, Sirius's immaturity was just straight up _exasperating_.

"Fine, fine, fine," Sirius relented. "I will tolerate and _try_ not to insult the wretched thing."

"I guess that's all I can ask for…" Harry accepted reluctantly. "Just, try and let me do the talking? The last thing we need is for Kreacher to be distrustful of us. This locket is really important."

"Fine by me, Prongslet. I don't really fancy a talk with him anyway. Anyone who doesn't appreciate my effervescent personality is _not_ worth my time," Sirius agreed.

Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's antics. "You better not screw this up," Harry replied as he and Sirius walked up the staircase.

"Alright, here we go," Sirius said, reluctantly opening the door. "Hopefully it is in slightly better condition than it was last time, seeing as Mum just died."

Unfortunately, it seemed as though in her final days, Walburga Black hadn't cared much about the state she was living in. The floors and walls were covered in dust, there was a moldy stench circulating throughout the home, and various magical items, clothing articles, moldy food containers, and other miscellaneous objects littered the floor. "What has Kreacher been doing for the past few years?" Sirius asked, wrinkling his nose.

Speaking seemed to be the wrong choice, as Sirius had awoken his mother's portrait. Apparently, the woman hadn't cared less about living in a pigsty, but had cared enough to get a portrait of herself installed in the house. "WHO DARES ENTER THE MOST NOBLE AND ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK?! NO FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS, HALF-BLOODS, OR MUDBLOODS SHALL ENTER THIS HOUSE!"

"I don't suppose that you ever found a way to remove that horrendous portrait in your time?" Sirius asked Harry hopefully.

"Nope. When the curtains aren't closed, your mother is somehow even angrier and louder in the future," Harry responded.

"Perfect. Incredible. Absolutely fucking fantastic. Just prodigious. What could be more stupendous than my beloved mother shouting profanities and slurs?" Sirius replied sarcastically.

"Are you done being a thesaurus?" Harry teased. "Because seeing as I only have the strength of a scant five year old, I might need some help closing these curtains. Unless, of course, you would love to hear more about your blood-traitoring ways?"

Sirius helped Harry close the moth-eaten curtains around his mother's portrait. "Ah, that's much better," Sirius sighed with relief.

"Who dares wake Kreacher's dear mistress?! Alas, it is Mistress's son, Sirius. The bad boy who broke my mistress's heart. Associating with blood traitors and Mudbloods…" Kreacher shot a death glare Sirius's way, before he turned away from them and continued to mutter slurs.

"Hello, Kreacher," said Harry gently. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter. Kreacher has hearing Mistress complain about Harry Potter. You is the one who stopped the Dark Lord. Filthy Half-blood who associates with Bad Master, the one who made my poor mistress cry. Oh, Kreacher misses Mistress dearly," Kreacher replied as he burst into tears at the thought of his late mistress.

"Look, Kreacher. We know about Regulus's locket. Sirius and I are here to destroy it," Harry said, getting straight to the point. After all, part of the reason that Kreacher had had a change of heart was because Harry had promised to finish Regulus's last request.

"How is the filthy Half-blood knowing of Master Regulus's locket?" Kreacher asked suspiciously.

"Uh...I'm a Seer," Harry lied nervously.

Sirius snorted.

"Kreacher has never heard of a Seer who remembers their predictions," Kreacher replied, eyeing Harry warily.

"I'm a...Dream Seer. I dream the future. I suspect it has something to do with surviving the killing curse. Avada Kedavra left me full of dark, powerful magic, you see. Because of that, I can see into the future," Harry responded. "For example, I know that Regulus defied Voldemort after he left you in the cave to die. I know that Regulus called for you to come back, which is how you survived. When you and Regulus went back to the cave, Regulus drank the potion so you would not have to suffer, and before the Inferi pulled him under, he ordered you to go home and destroy the locket."

"How is yous a Seer who dreams the past? Did yous not say that yous can dream the future?" Kreacher replied, clearly still suspicious.

"I saw you telling me this in the future, because Sirius and I know how to destroy that locket," Harry answered.

"Kreacher was always heartbroken that he could not complete the last command of Master Regulus…" Kreacher remarked. "Kreacher is not sure he can trust yous."

"How about this, Kreacher. After Sirius and I destroy the locket, we will let you see the remains. Hell, you can even keep them if you want. It was one of the last things Regulus touched, after all. I'm sure he would have wanted you to have it," Harry reasoned. While Harry wasn't sure if the broken locket would mean as much to Kreacher as Regulus's fake locket, he wasn't about to risk being pulled under by Inferi again just to appease the House-elf.

"Merlin, Harry. I know Kreacher's mental, but I don't think even _he_ would treasure _something like that_. Too far, mate," Sirius muttered into Harry's ear.

Harry lightly pinched Sirius in the side. "Shut up, Sirius You promised to let me do the talking, remember?"

"Ow." Sirius glared at Harry, clutching his side. "Sheesh, Prongslet. You did not have to do that!"

Kreacher seemed unaware of the interaction going on between the two humans, as he was too deep in his own thoughts. "But...but Kreacher has tries everything he can to destroy it. Nothing Kreacher does makes a mark...How can yous destroy it? Oh, Kreacher is a bad elf who is failing Master Regulus!" Kreacher knelt down and wept loudly into his hands.

"Kreacher, I can finish Regulus's work for you. Sirius and I...we have some special tools to destroy the locket. If you could just give it to us, we will destroy it, and we will give you the remains, as I promised before. Something to remember Regulus by," Harry pleaded with the elf.

"Yous would really do that for Kreacher?" Kreacher asked hopefully. The disdain in his voice from earlier had disappeared.

"Yes, Kreacher, I promise," Harry replied sincerely.

Kreacher disappeared with a _pop,_ before reappearing with the locket in his hands. "Please finish Master Regulus's work. For Kreacher will be very sad if he disappoints great Master Regulus again," Kreacher wheezed out before he burst into tears once again.

XXXXXXXXX

After Harry and Sirius left Grimmauld place (Harry had insisted on sticking around until Kreacher had calmed down, as he had grown fond of the elf after what he had done at the Battle of Hogwarts), they Apparated to the Graveyard in Little Hangleton, then walked to the old Gaunt family shack.

"This is Voldemort's family's house?" Sirius wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This place makes Grimmauld Place seem like the Queen's palace."

The place truly looked like a stereotypical haunted house that would be used to scare people on Halloween (except much smaller in size, and much shabbier). The windows were blacked out, and the worn, rotted, wooden siding of the house just added to the ominous feel of the place. To top it all off, it was located smack in the middle of the woods, which created a serial killer vibe.

Harry stepped forward, carefully walking around the edges of the property. There appeared to be protective wards that prevented intruders from entering.

Sirius poked his middle finger into the protective wards, only for said finger to be set on fire. "Ah, not my 'fuck you' finger!"

Harry quickly removed his wand from his holster. " _Aguamenti!_ " Harry bellowed. "You idiot, Padfoot!"

"What? Someone had to test it out!" Sirius defended himself.

"And you didn't think that it would be a good idea to try and break down the wards before sticking a body part through them?!" Harry retorted.

"Well, I can't be expected to think of everything!" answered Sirius.

"From the way you were acting, it's like you weren't thinking at all," Harry muttered in annoyance.

Sirius and Harry worked collectively to remove the defensive wards. After the two of them fired as many defensive spells as possible at random, a combination of them seemed to finally bring the wards down.

"Be careful, Sirius," Harry warned as they walked into the old building. "There are still more defenses, the dark magic...I can feel it."

"What are you talking about, my dear godson? I am _always_ careful," Sirius replied.

"Uh huh…" Harry replied skeptically. Harry carefully checked the main room for jinxes and curses. "All clear," Harry informed Sirius, walking through the room and entering the hallway.

At the end of the hall, there was a door with a snake engraved on it. "How dare you enter the house of Gaunt!" The snake hissed in parseltongue. "Leave now, or die!"

"Ew...I hate snakes!" Sirius moaned. "What's it saying?"

"No one without the blood of Salazar Slytherin running through their veins shall come to this house!" The snake hissed again, and a red light curse was fired their way.

Harry quickly dodged the curse, pulling Sirius out of the way with him. "Hello," Harry hissed to the snake. "My friend and I are just here to visit. We won't be long. If you would just let us into that room, we'll be on our way."

"Who is this that speaks? A boy who speaks to snakes? Are you a child of Gaunt? Are you a descendent of the great Salazar Slytherin?" The snake asked.

"Yes," Harry lied. "Yes, I am. I am here to learn more about my heritage," he continued. "Now please, just open the door."

"Very well, Master," the snake replied.

The old wooden door swung open, and inside there was a rusty old nightstand. On top of the nightstand, was the ring.

"Bingo," Harry whispered. "SIRIUS, NO!"

Sirius had sprinted over to the nightstand and picked up the ring. "What did you say?" Sirius asked. "I'll be the most powerful wizard of all time?"

"SIRIUS! SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU'RE GOING TO GET CURSED AND _DIE_ IF YOU PUT THAT THING ON!" Harry hollered.

Sirius appeared to be too entranced by the ring to hear him. "And I can bring back whoever I want?" Sirius asked the ring, moving it toward his ring finger.

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed again, lunging at his godfather.

"Haha! I'm only pulling your wand! You _totally_ fell for that! Like I would be stupid enough to fall for anything that ring was whispering to me!" Sirius exclaimed as he dodged Harry. "You looked like you were about to shite yourself!" Sirius cackled.

"Well, excuse me for being scared of my godfather dying. Especially since you've gone and done it before!" Harry replied defensively.

"You're right, sorry, Prongslet. That was a bit insensitive," Sirius acknowledged. "But...it was still funny as hell! You should've seen the look on your face!" Sirius howled again.

"Did you work on mastering Fiendfyre like I asked you to?" Harry asked, changing the subject to a more important matter. He'd gotten used to his godfather's antics over the years, and knew that the more he engaged him, the worse he got.

"Uh...kind of. I mean, I started working on it...but then...I forgot," Sirius admitted sheepishly.

"What do you mean you _forgot_?!" Harry asked incredulously. "Did you _forget_ that mastering that _one spell_ was an important part of a plan to defeat a dark wizard without getting ourselves killed in the process? If you can't control it, we could end up burning ourselves to death," Harry said, remembering Crabbe's death in the Room of Requirement.

"Well, if it's so important, then why didn't you work on it? In case you forgot, I bought you a wand when you were one (physically, anyway). Can't you do it?" Sirius asked.

"Seeing as this is a very dark and dangerous spell that requires a lot of physical strength to control, I thought the person in an adult body would be a better fit for the job. Unfortunately, there was a slight oversight in my planning, as I forgot that the person in the adult body has the mind of a child," Harry explained.

"Oi, Prongslet. You are making this way too complicated. If we just set Fiendfyre to the property with the Horcruxes on it, and we apparate away after, the chances that we get hurt are minuscule!" Sirius replied.

"Fine, fine. Seeing as we have no better options at the moment, I'll let you do it. Even if you are _very_ unprepared. Just a warning that if we die (again), I will torment on a daily basis in the afterlife," Harry threatened.

"Fair enough," Sirius replied nonchalantly. "Let's do this!"

Sirius and Harry exited the Gaunt shack, glad to be able to leave the musty smell behind. " _Fiendfyre!_ " Sirius cried. "Whoops, that's a bit more unruly than I anticipated."

Harry quickly opened the locket with parseltongue, before tossing it in the fire with the locket. "Shit, I forgot. I have to get the remains of it to Kreacher!" Harry exclaimed, running in to grab the locket pieces.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry and Sirius first decided to drop off the destroyed Horcrux to Kreacher in Grimmauld Place (Harry had insisted). Sirius seemed less disgruntled about the situation after he watched Kreacher grovel at the two of them (he even finally accepted Sirius as a true Black family member). While they were there, they also cast a Fidelius Charm for good measure, with Sirius as the Secret Keeper like they'd planned before. Now, Harry wasn't sure if they were going to ever use the place to store Horcruxes (he'd rather dispose of them immediately), but it could be a good place to hide from Death Eaters in the future if he ended up on the run again.

Harry and Sirius then returned to Godric's Hollow. After all, they reeked of smoke and needed to clean up before going to the hospital to meet the new baby.

After Sirius finally finished grooming his hair into a ulotrichous coiffure ("it's an art, Harry"), the two finally made it to St Mungos.

The godfather and godson duo walked into the assigned hospital room, and saw James cradling a redheaded baby, while Lily smiled at the two of them in admiration from her hospital bed. Remus Lupin sat on the end of the bed, looking a bit ragged and worn out, but very content.

"Sorry we're late, Mum. Someone thought that their hair was more important than meeting their new family member," Harry apologized, looking pointedly at Sirius.

"Well, Padfoot, I'm glad we didn't make you the godfather," James remarked.

"What?! Who's the godfather?!" Sirius cried, clearly outraged.

"Moony," James replied. "It took a bit of convincing for him to accept the honor, but I wore him down. At least he wasn't scared of holding the baby this time. Back when Harry was born, Remus was so scared that he would accidentally bite him, and refused to hold him until Harry was _three weeks old_."

"Well, at least you chose someone acceptable," Sirius muttered, still looking slightly disgruntled. "Wait...is baby Potter a boy or a girl? It's kind of hard to tell when they first come out, no offense, baby Potter."

"Her name is Alaina Lily Potter," Lily replied with a smile.

Harry and Sirius walked to James' side, and admired the newest addition to the Potter family. "Can I hold her, Mum?" Harry asked quietly.

"Of course, Harry," Lily replied as James handed Harry the baby.

Harry gently cradled his baby sister, rocking her back and forth. "She's beautiful. She looks like you, Mum. Except for the eyes, she's got Dad's eyes. The opposite of me, I guess." Harry cooed at his little sister, admiring the tiny bundle of joy in his arms. He'd never known anything could be so wonderful. At that moment, he declared that he would never let anything hurt his little sister. And if someone even tried to lay a finger on her, they would have to answer to a _very_ angry older brother.

Harry handed his baby sister off to Sirius, and let his godfather have his time admiring Alaina. Harry was surprised by how gentle Sirius could be, as his godfather had never treated him so delicately when he came back as a baby. Although, to be fair, it probably had a lot to do with the fact that he knew Harry was actually a grown man.

"Did you have fun, Harry? What did you and Sirius do today?" Lily asked after Alaina had gone to sleep.

"Oh, we had a splendid time! Sirius and I broke into an old ancestral home to steal a priceless family heirloom. We then set the family's home on fire to destroy said heirloom, along with a locket full of dark magic that we got from Sirius's House-elf. We also nearly got killed in the process, because someone," Harry glowered at Sirius, "didn't do their homework. Apparently, Padfoot _forgot_ to practice a rather important spell. It was rather traumatic to go through that experience as a mere five year old."

While Harry knew he acted nothing like a normal five year old, he had long ago established himself as a child genius who often said quite outlandish things. Though most of the adults in his life, save Sirius, thought these stories were just bizarre jokes, they were usually true stories about Harry's adventures in his previous life.

"Well, you wouldn't have almost died if you hadn't tried to waste time grabbing the remains of the locket, just to appease a nutty old House-elf," Sirius retorted.

"I promised him I would bring back the pieces. I don't break promises, Sirius."

Harry's mother probably just assumed that Harry and Sirius were being their eccentric selves with a morbid sense of humor. "How did you two manage to corrupt him so much? He's only five, and he's already a dangerous combination of the two of you," She complained to James and Sirius.

"Me?!" James asked. "This is all Padfoot's doing!" James protested. "Sirius is the one who encourages this behavior!"

"Hey, why are you blaming this on me, Prongs? How are you so sure this isn't just the Potter genes taking over? Plus, Moony is also a Marauder, he could've easily contributed to corrupting Harry as well! Why don't you assign some of the blame to him?!" Sirius asked.

"Maybe because I have outgrown our schoolboy antics, and am now a mature, responsible adult," Remus answered, rolling his eyes.

"That's just code for 'I'm now a boring old coot'," Sirius stage whispered.

"Better to be a boring old coot than an overgrown man-child," Remus responded savagely.

Sirius made an exaggerated loud gasping noise, and clutched his heart. "Oh, Moony, you wound me."

Harry grinned as he watched his family members tease each other. It still felt so surreal that his life could be so...perfect.

XXXXXXXXXXX


	6. Flying and Snape

**August 16, 1985**

Lily Potter sat on the sofa in the sitting room as she nursed her newborn baby girl. The family cat, Stanley, that Harry sometimes called Crookshanks, curled up on her side. Since James had the day off, he had taken Harry out of the day, to do God knows what. As long as their antics did not involve anything illegal though, it was probably better if she didn't know. Harry really was his father's son, at least, he had sure inherited his father's talent for causing trouble. While Harry was usually rather mature for his age and quite...eccentric, sometimes, Lily felt like he acted childish just for the sake of it.

Sirius was undoubtedly a horrible influence, but separating those two was out of the question. Sirius and Harry had developed a special bond when Harry was a baby, and it was like they could understand each other in a way that nobody else could. The two were attached at the hip, and often went off on their own, coming back with embellished stories about what they had done. Sirius was the only one who could keep up with Harry's crazy, unbelievable stories, and the two of them often acted like what they had just described had actually happened. Of course, they couldn't be possible, considering the scale of the tales they usually told. But seeing as the man would (and almost did), die for their family, Lily tried to overlook some of his less...desirable traits.

Though Harry enjoyed wreaking havoc with his father and Sirius, in a lot of ways, he was much more like Lily. He was sensitive, kind, and had a way of seeing the beauty in others that would typically be considered outcasts. He was sweet and patient with the shy, clumsy Neville Longbottom, and was always trying to boost the boy's self esteem. Harry never acted like he was better than everyone else, and always thought of others before himself. He had a temper too, which he'd also inherited from Lily, which came out whenever Sirius was being too crazy for even _Harry_ to deal with (this didn't happen often though, as Harry was usually very happy to contribute to Sirius's antics). The way Harry took care of his sister was more similar to that of a parent, rather than an older brother. Sometimes, Lily felt like Harry was an adult trapped in a child's body. He was definitely an old soul.

Harry was also very close to his surrogate uncle, Remus Lupin. Remus was always more reserved with the boy, as his Lycanpathy often made him believe himself to be a danger to Harry. Harry however, was very understanding of Lupin's needs before and after the full moon, and often tried to care for his uncle, by providing him with blankets and hot tea after a particularly tough transformation. Harry never once judged the man for his condition, and anytime Remus even suggested that Harry would be safer without him, Harry was the first to point out that without Remus, the only adult male figures he had in his life were James and Sirius. Harry had told him that Remus was the only responsible male figure in his life, and that without him, Sirius, James, and Harry would probably get themselves killed doing something reckless.

Speaking of Harry, it seemed as though he and James had finally made it home. "Yeah, go faster, Dad!" Harry cried. A large stag galloped into the sitting room, and on top of the stag, was a boy with round glasses and messy black hair. "Wooooo!" Harry yelled out in excitement.

"Harry James Potter, get down from there immediately!" Lily scolded. "And James," Lily turned to the stag, glaring at its hazel eyes as she continued nursing Alaina, "how many times have I told you to _not_ let Harry ride you like a horse. You don't even have a saddle, and Harry could fall off! It isn't safe!" Lily screeched at her husband.

Harry reluctantly crawled off of the stag, and the stag transformed back into James Potter. "Sorry Mum," Harry apologized sheepishly.

"Sorry, Lily," James followed. "But in my defense, it was totally Harry's idea. How could I possibly say 'no' to those big, green eyes?"

"And as a parent, you're supposed to make the responsible decision, even if it disappoints the child," Lily informed her husband. "Also, really? You're blaming the five year old?" Lily asked incredulously. "Sometimes, I can't believe I married _you_."

"Lils, come on. You know you love me," James teased, walking over to where his wife was sitting. James sat down next to Lily and wrapped his arm around her, before pecking her cheek. "Besides, Quidditch is much more dangerous than stag riding, and with the way Harry flies, he's definitely going to be a Quidditch player. Of course, I am still trying to convince him to play the best position (Chaser), but he insists on being a Seeker. Oh well, we still have quite a few years to convince him otherwise."

"Oh, _please_. The Chaser is hardly the best position. The Seeker gets all the glory. After all, they are the person that dictates when the game is over. Plus, unless the other team has scored 15 more goals than yours, the rest of the game is pretty pointless. I'm surprised you didn't try to go for Seeker, considering how big headed you are," Harry teased.

"Prongslet, you did _not_ just say that, young man! And I'll have you know that there have been over 60 documented cases in professional Quidditch where a team has gotten the snitch, but the other team won!" James countered.

"Yes, but out of how many? I mean, I don't know how many Quidditch matches have ever been played, but let's just say...over 10,000 at least! That's less than one percent of professional Quidditch matches!" Harry pointed out. "I rest my case, the seeker is arguably the only important player in a majority of Quidditch matches," Harry concluded. "What do you have to say to that, old man?!" Harry asked smugly.

James opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It appeared as though his son had won the debate, and had rendered his father speechless.

Lily laughed at her husband's stunned expression. "Looks like he's got you there, honey. Besides, weren't you the one who tried out for Seeker first, but made Chaser because you weren't any good at catching the snitch? You were the one who told me that it takes more than being a good flyer to be a good Seeker," Lily pointed out. "Plus, I do recall you once telling me at one point in 7th year that you wished you could've played Seeker, because they got all the credit," Lily added.

"Whatever. Harry, go grab your Nimbus 1990, I'll show you how to fly the _proper_ way. I bet you ten Galleons that I can beat you in a race on my old Comet 220!" James challenged his son.

"And I bet you 20 Galleons that I'll beat you with my eyes closed, whilst flying circles around you!" Harry answered cockily.

"Oh, wow, someone is getting cocky," James teased. "A bit hypocritical, don't you think, that this is the person calling _me_ big headed?"

"It's not being cocky, seeing as I actually _am_ that good," Harry argued. "Are we on, or not?"

James stuck his hand out to his son. "I feel bad for making you take a fool's bet, but alright!"

"The only one making the fool's bet is you," Harry replied, shaking his father's hand. "You're on!"

James and Harry quickly ran off to grab their brooms, both of them eager to prove the other wrong.

"Boys," Lily muttered quietly to Alaina, rolling her eyes. "At least I have you. I don't think I could handle all of the testosterone if you were another boy," she added.

Lily then cupped her hands around her mouth, and raised her voice. "Just _please_ , try not to come back with any injuries!" Lily called out to her husband and son.

XXXXXXXX

James smiled as he and his son walked out into their backyard's Quidditch pitch. The two of them bantered with each other good-naturdley, just enjoying each other's presence. Sometimes, Harry felt more like a peer than his son. James often thought of Harry as another one of the Marauders, rather than a younger boy he was responsible for. It really was easy to forget that Harry was just a child, because of his extreme intelligence and maturity. Whenever Harry suggested a reckless (but fun sounding) activity, James had to remind himself that Harry was only five, and his son, not his friend.

It seemed as though Lily didn't trust the two of them flying together unsupervised, as she too showed up on the pitch, cradling a sleeping Alaina.

"Alright, Dad. Here are the rules," Harry announced. "Five laps around the Quidditch pitch, and whoever makes it back first, wins. Now, as part of the bet, I will be doing it with my eyes closed, and I will be flying circles around you."

"Come on, Harry. I thought you were joking about that. There's no way you could beat me, even if you were flying normally. I am practically Quidditch royalty around Hogwarts," James replied, ruffling his hair.

"If royalty means you had one fan, cough cough, Wormtail, then yeah, you were Quidditch royalty," Harry responded savagely.

"Now, bringing You-Know-Who into this isn't fair," James complained.

"Voldemort? I didn't know he liked Quidditch. I always thought he was more into the whole 'murder thing', especially when it came to babies who according to a rather nutty professor, had 'the power to vanquish the Dark Lord'," Harry responded cheekily.

"You _know_ that that's not what I meant!" James replied defensively.

"Hey, I _am_ only five years old, how was I supposed to know what you meant?" Harry countered cheekily. "Anyway, old man, are you ready to get your arse kicked by a little kid?!"

"Bring it on, young man!" James retorted. "Also, Lily's right, Sirius has corrupted you, and turned you into a little shit!"

"Language, boys!" Lily scolded.

"Sorry," James and Harry apologized simultaneously.

James couldn't believe it, Harry was actually flying with his eyes closed. To make matters worse, he was performing a bunch of tricks, and true to his word, flying circles around James, whilst still beating him. Not that James wasn't proud of his son, of course, after all, it was the Potter genes that had given Harry his natural talent. But still, James's pride was at risk. He couldn't lose to a _five year old_ , even if said five year old was his unbelievably talented son.

James desperately thrusted his broom forward, trying to get ahead of his son. But alas, it was no use. Harry was fast approaching the finish line, and James still had half the pitch to fly around.

Harry crossed the finish line, before standing up on his broom, and _bowing_. He then stuck his tongue out at James. "Very mature, son," James said sarcastically. _And to think I actually thought he **was** the mature one...How the hell is he staying upright whilst standing on his broom in midair, though? How is my kid a prodigy at __**everything**_ _?_ Though James's pride had been severely wounded, he couldn't help but feel proud of his son. Harry truly was _incredible_.

Upon seeing Harry pull the dangerous stunt, Lily apparently, did not feel the same sentiment as James. "Harry James Potter, sit your arse back down on your broom and get back down here! Do you not realize how dangerous that is? You are going to get yourself killed!" Lily shrieked. Lily yells had awoken Alaina, as the newborn had begun screaming as well. "Oh, I'm so sorry, baby girl. Your brother is just being a reckless fool. Let's get you to bed, okay sweetie?" Lily whispered softly. She then turned to Harry. "I will deal with you later."

"Language, Mum," Harry muttered after Lily had gone inside.

James had just landed on the ground when he had heard his son's comment, and burst out laughing. "Hypocrite, am I right? Just...don't tell her I said that."

"I probably won't," Harry replied with a shrug. "Anyways...where are my 20 Galleons?" Harry asked James.

XXXXXXXXXX

**August 17, 1985**

After winning the flying race with his father, Harry had taken every opportunity he could to gloat about it. He did feel slightly bad about making his father think that he had lost to a five year old (rather than an experienced 24 year old who could've played professional Quidditch if he had chosen to). However, Harry was having far too much fun teasing his father. His mother, on the other hand, was far less pleased with what he'd done on the Quidditch pitch, and threatened to take his broom away if he pulled a stunt like that again. Harry supposed that that was fair, after all, most five year olds probably would have died, or at least been seriously injured, if they had tried standing up on a broom and bowing the way he had.

"Harry, hurry up! We're meeting Sirius and Remus in Diagon Alley today!" Lily called out to her son.

"Coming, Mum," Harry replied.

With a simple wave of his wand, he had changed, brushed his teeth, and brushed his hair (which didn't do much good anyway). He wondered why Sirius always insisted on fixing his hair by hand. Harry almost considered Apparating downstairs as he was rather sore from flying the day before, but then he remembered that it was illegal to do Apparate underage. Besides, he could already hear his mother screaming about how he could have splinched himself and died, and he'd rather avoid death by the hand of Lily Potter.

Harry supposed that doing underage magic was illegal as well, but seeing as he lived in a wizarding household, the Trace wouldn't be able to detect who had performed the magic. Although he wasn't certain, he had heard that the Trace wasn't even activated on children until they entered Hogwarts, seeing as many Muggleborns might not know that underage magic was illegal. Also, it would be downright annoying for the Ministry of Magic to be alerted every time a case of accidental magic occurred. The more he thought about it though, the more stupid the underage magic rule seemed. Basically, it just screwed over Muggleborns, while wizard children who lived in magical households could use magic whenever they pleased. He decided that someday, he really should file a complaint to the Wizengamot about it.

After another unpleasant bout of floo travel (seriously, wizards really should come up with a less nauseating form of transportation), the Potter family had finally arrived in Diagon Alley.

Sirius noticed them immediately, and waved them over to where he was standing with Remus.

After everyone had greeted one another, the group decided to head over to the Apothecary, as Lily needed some more potions ingredients. Unfortunately for pretty much the entire group besides Lily (and possibly Alaina, seeing as she was just a mere infant who would not remember this encounter), Severus Snape had made the same decision.

"Hi, Sev!" Lily called out to her friend.

Snape looked up excitedly upon hearing Lily's voice, only for his expression to darken significantly after setting eyes on the rest of the group. "Hello, Lily," Snape replied, advertently avoiding eye contact with the others.

"Oh, Harry, this is-" Lily began.

"Hi, you must be Snivellus! I'm Harry, Harry Potter," Harry smirked as he watched Snape's jaw clench tightly. Harry wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but he could have sworn that he'd seen Snape's hands make a strangling gesture in the air. How strange. Harry realized that he had just ruined any chance of having a somewhat cordial relationship with Snape (like he had originally planned for), but hey, Snape had made his life a living hell for six years for being "just like his father". He figured he might as well do the crime that he'd already done the time for. Now, Harry wouldn't take it as far as to bully Snape the way his father had, but mess with him a little? Now _that_ could be fun. Especially now that Harry knew for a fact that Snape wasn't an evil Death Eater that wanted to kill him.

Snape regained his composure, before sneering at Harry. "Why you little-"

Lily cut her friend off to reprimand her son. "Harry, that's not very nice, his name is Severus. I want you to apologize right now!"

"I'm sorry," Harry began. "I just thought that was your name. Sirius has told me all about his time at Hogwarts, and in all of his stories, he calls you that," Harry replied innocently, trying to look apologetic.

Snape turned towards Sirius, looking very much like he'd like to inflict bodily harm on the man. For a second, Harry was seriously concerned for his godfather's wellbeing. Sirius chuckled nervously, "Kids, they say the darndest things. Lily, you have to believe me, I would never tell Harry to call Sni...uh...Severus anything but his given name. Kid must've heard wrong."

"Right," Lily said skeptically, glaring at Sirius. She obviously still remembered the incident at Harry's fifth birthday party. Okay, Harry was definitely concerned about Sirius's wellbeing now (but not enough to stop messing with him).

Sirius lightly punched Harry in the side. "Ow! What was that for?" Harry whispered.

"What do you mean? You know what that was for! Are you trying to get me killed?" Sirius muttered back.

"I'm playing the part of a child. It's an innocent mistake that any five year old could make!" Harry defended himself. "Also, that's payback for all the times you've done something stupid."

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Mr Potter. And a lot like Black, as well," Snape sneered his way.

"Thank you," Harry replied.

James looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"That was _not_ a compliment, Mr Potter." Snape looked like he might snap at any moment.

"Well, thanks anyway. I take everything as a compliment. You see, it's better to see the positives in everything. You know, the glass half full. Not to worry though, sir. While I am like them in some ways, they tend to take things a bit...farther than I would. For example, I would never try to feed you to a werewolf. It would be bad PR if I had attempted murder on my record. It could really affect my merchandise sales, and I really don't want that," Harry stated matter of factly.

Harry noticed Remus leaning in to whisper to Sirius, so being the innocent child that he was, he moved a bit closer, so he could eavesdrop...no, "accidentally overhear".

"You told him about that?" Remus whispered to Sirius incredulously.

"Yes, as an example of a prank gone wrong. That way, he'll know to _never_ do it," Sirius replied defensively.

"I think most people know better than to feed someone to a werewolf, even without someone warning them about it," Remus pointed out. "At least I know Harry has more sense than you," he added.

"Your...merchandise sales?" Snape asked, ignoring the fact that two of the Marauders were possibly whispering about him. Somehow, he looked even more disgusted with Harry.

"Oh, you haven't heard? I've just launched a whole line of Harry Potter merchandise, including signed photos, broomsticks, toys, quills, and a whole lot more. It has been a huge hit at Flourish and Blotts, and I am definitely going to expand to a few more stores," Harry replied, enjoying the horrified look on Snape's face. "Oh, I've also got a fan club. It's only five Galleons a month if you'd like to join. There are already 700 members."

While Harry had always hated being famous the first go around, he soon realized that no matter how hard he tried to shy away from the spotlight, somehow, the attention always ended up being on him. Whether it was because of his ugly scar, being the Chosen One, the adventures that he inevitably had to go on, or his Quidditch skills, something always brought attention his way. So seeing as trying to keep the attention away wasn't an option, he might as well take advantage of his fame, and exploit it for all he was worth. Of course, it wouldn't all be for selfish reasons, as he planned to support some worthwhile causes along the way. It was just counterproductive to attempt to have a "quiet life". After he had gotten older, he realized that it was actually to his _disadvantage_ to try and hide himself away. If anything, the more mysterious he appeared to the outside world, the more they would attempt to pry into his private life. At least this way, he could maintain a public image (where he appeared to be an open book with all his dirty laundry out in the open), so people wouldn't be so desperate to dig shit up about him, and invade his personal life.

Harry's mother wasn't quite onboard with the whole Boy-Who-Lived themed merchandise, and Remus seemed indifferent towards it. His dad and Sirius on the other hand, supported him wholeheartedly and even recommended that he sell Harry Potter themed prank supplies. However, he wasn't quite sure about that suggestion, as he didn't want to take the attention away from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes when Fred and George came around.

"Believe me when I say, I have no interest in joining your little...fan club." Snape curled his lip.

"That's okay!" Harry replied. "But thanks for considering it! Especially after what Sirius told me to call you!" Harry added cheerfully, gesturing towards his godfather.

"You know, I'm just going to go and sit down over there," Sirius said, looking for an excuse to get out of the awkward situation. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'll just wait until you all are done catching up." Sirius quickly ran off.

"I'll join you," James offered.

"I'll help," Remus added.

"And then there were four," Harry said, still grinning. "Well, I am glad to finally meet you after hearing all about you!"

Harry wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him, but he had a rather...devious idea.

Before he could even comprehend what he was about to do, Harry stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Snape. "I love giving hugs, I hope you don't mind!" Harry said giddily. He quickly grabbed a few strands of loose hair that he had noticed on Snape's robe, and pocketed them. After all, he and Sirius had bought an entire cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion not too long ago...

Snape froze for a second, before muttering incoherently. "Ge...o...off!"

"Harry, honey. Severus does not really like to be touched. But that was sweet of you to do, anyway," Lily said gently. She then turned to Snape. "I'm sorry, Severus."

Snape's sneer faded away when he looked at Lily. "It's okay," Snape said softly.

"Harry!" Sirius called out from where he, James, and Remus were sitting. Harry ignored his godfather, knowing that he'd want to confront him about setting him up to be scolded by Lily (again). And possibly to ask about the hug. "Harry Potter! I know you can hear me!" Sirius yelled.

Harry smacked his forehead. Of course _Sirius_ would not think before speaking, because if he had, he would've realized that with Harry being a celebrity, shouting the name 'Harry Potter' could cause a mob to form. Or maybe he did realize this, and this was payback for earlier...Sirius could be _so_ petty.

"Harry Potter?" Someone murmured.

"Can it really be...him? I wonder if I can shake his hand…"

"Wow, a real hero!" A girl whispered to her friends.

"Yes, it really is me, _the_ Harry Potter," Harry addressed the crowd. "Please refrain from asking me if it is really me, because I have literally just told you all that I am. If you'd like a signed picture of me, please go to the Harry Potter stand at Flourish and Blotts. If you use the code, 'Marauding for Life', you will receive a 20 percent discount on all Harry Potter merchandise. I really do appreciate all of the support! Thank you!" Harry looked over and noticed that Snape's sneer was back. _Well, time to show him I really am the son of James Potter._ Harry then ruffled his hair for good measure, and somehow, Snape looked even more revolted.

Harry could hear Sirius and James roaring with laughter down the street, while James shouted, "That's my boy!"

"I really am sorry about all of this, Severus. I think that we should get going, but it was nice seeing you!" Lily waved goodbye as she took Harry's hand, the two of them desperately trying to push through the mob.

XXXXXXXX


	7. Pranks and Holidays

_Previously:_

_Before he could even comprehend what he was about to do, Harry stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around the man. "I love giving hugs, I hope you don't mind!" Harry said giddily. He quickly grabbed a few strands of loose hair that he had noticed on Snape's robe, and pocketed them. After all, he and Sirius had bought a cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion not too long ago..._

**August 20th, 1985**

James sighed in relief as he walked through the front door of his home. It had been a long day at work. The Auror Office had been particularly busy that day, as a gang of Death Eater wannabes had attempted to lay waste to the Ministry of Magic. After the Dark Lord's fall, and the subsequent arrest of known Death Eaters, terrorist attacks and attempts had seldom occurred. Therefore, this particular attempt, while relatively small, and poorly planned, was an aberration. Not to mention, half of the apartment was off duty that day (including Sirius), so it made the job a bit more difficult. Though he'd felt a sense of accomplishment, as all perpetrators involved had been apprehended, James was just happy to finally be able to relax.

Lily had been called in to work that day as well, as there was a shortage of healing potions, and with a shortage of staff at the moment, St Mungos had no choice but to call Lily (who was on maternity leave). It was a life or death situation for some of the patients, which meant that Lily couldn't refuse in good conscience. Lily was reluctant to leave Alaina alone with Sirius, but Harry had reassured her that he would ensure that everything went smoothly. While most people would probably find it odd that Lily trusted a five year old more than the adult, James completely understood her sentiment. Harry was so much more than an ordinary child.

So seeing as James was only aware of three occupants that should be in the house (Harry, Alaina, and Sirius), one could understand the shock on his face when he came home to see none other than Severus Snape, sitting at the kitchen table. The man looked...different, but James couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about his facial expression was...off.

"What are you doing here, Sniv...Snape?" James asked accusingly.

"Well, Pad...uh...Black couldn't make it today, so Lily asked me to look after your spawn," Snape replied with a sneer. Snape then quickly covered mouth with his hand, almost as if he was trying not to laugh. Weird. But then again, Snape had always been an odd one. It was especially unnerving to see him look almost...happy.

"And she didn't bother to ask me if I was okay with that?!" James asked incredulously.

"Well, she trusts me, you see," Snape replied with a smirk.

James gawked at him.

"She and I have been sleeping together for awhile now. We're in love, and she just asked me to marry her. Of course, she has to complete the divorce process first, but from what I've heard, she's already started the process. She didn't want to face you about it because...uh...she's a bit...ashamed? Yeah, she's really ashamed. She asked me to let you know today. Also, she's kicking you out of the house. I'm going to be the new father to your...offspring," Snape informed James.

At that moment, Snape looked so unbelievably smug, and he was...smiling? Snape never smiled! What the hell was going on? Lily and Snape? How could she cheat on James—without him realizing it?

"What the fuck, Snivellus? I don't know what you're playing at, but you're going to pay for this," James threatened, sticking his hand into his robe pocket to pull out his wand. Only...it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" Snape asked, James's wand in hand. Snape chuckled at James, "you really should be more careful about hanging on to your wand."

"Oh, you insolent little git!" James pounced at Snape. He'd decided to go for a physical hit, seeing as he didn't have his wand.

Unfortunately for James, Snape used _James's wand_ , and silently produced a huge cloud of smoke. When the smoke had finally cleared, Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"The bloody wanker stole my wand!" James screamed angrily.

XXXXXX

Harry quickly dashed out of the kitchen, and into his bedroom, where Sirius was cradling Alaina. "He _totally_ fell for it! I was worried that my Snape impression wasn't good enough. All I did was talk with my teeth clenched together! But we should probably tell him it was a joke before Mum gets home. Or else it could get ugly."

"Aw, come on! Part of the Marauder code is to keep a prank going for as long as you can!" Sirius whined.

"Do you want to face Mum's wrath when Dad confronts her about Snape, and she finds out we were behind it?" Harry asked Sirius. "Because I sure don't. Dad doesn't scare me much, but Mum sure does. I'm counting on him being proud of me for pulling off such a brilliant prank."

"Fine, fine. I suppose you have a point," Sirius acknowledged. "I get yelled at by Lily enough already. Apparently, I'm a 'bad influence'," Sirius scoffed.

Harry snorted. "I mean, you did spend 12 years in a maximum security prison for mass murder, among other things. _That's_ not exactly setting a great example."

"But...I was framed!" Sirius pointed out defensively.

"And your recklessness made it extremely easy for Peter to frame you," Harry countered.

Before Sirius could argue back, James came barging in. "Aha, there you are, Snivellus!" James exclaimed. "Now, you give me back my wand, you greasy git!"

"Hi, Dad," Harry replied (still looking like Snape, but sounding like himself again). "You've just been had by your own son!" Harry quickly threw his father his wand back, then fell on the floor laughing.

"What?" James looked confused for a moment, before it dawned on him. It seemed as though James had finally noticed Sirius holding his daughter in the other corner of the room. "Padfoot, you bloody git. I can't believe you put Harry up to this!"

Sirius put his hands up in surrender. "This was Harry's idea. In fact, he nicked some hairs off Snivelly's robes when he hugged him the other day. Bloody brilliant, he is."

"How'd you do it? Polyjuice? Where did you even get that? I know you'd never brew potions just for fun," James responded. "You know what? I don't even want to know. You two would probably give me some over the top story about how you fought a dragon for it."

"I actually did fight a dragon during my fourth year at Hogwarts," Harry stated casually.

"He also fought a Basilisk during his second year," Sirius added.

"Right," James replied, raising his eyebrows. "And I broke into Gringotts at the age of 70, and escaped on a Norwegian Ridgeback," James said sarcastically.

"Come on, James. We all know that's a lie! We're supposed to be bragging about things we've actually accomplished," Sirius said. "For example, like Harry and I were talking about earlier, I was convicted for mass muder, and later became the first man to escape from Azkaban, after spending 12 years in that hellhole."

"And by the way, I actually did break into Gringotts during what should've been my seventh year at Hogwarts," Harry added. "But the Gringotts Dragon is of the Ukrainian Ironbelly species," Harry informed his father.

James stared at them in disbelief. "You two are bloody mental! But I will say this, Sirius. Mate, we all thought that out of all the Marauders, you'd be the one to end up in prison. But Wormy seems to have beaten you to it. Also Harry, Gringotts, why...oh, nevermind," James finished. Clearly, the poor man had given up.

"Did you not just hear me, mate? I've already spent 12 years in Azkaban! Wormtail's been there for around four years. I'm the clear winner," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "Wow, Prongslet, sometimes, I wonder if your Dad even listens to us."

"I have been listening to you two! You blokes just never make any sense!" James exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Well, according to you, we make no sense. Perhaps our intellect is beyond your understanding," Harry suggested.

"Right. Well, besides the craziness, I have to say, I am impressed, Prongslet. That was a great prank. _But_...I will be getting you back," James warned, grinning mischievously.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a fellow Marauder," Harry replied with an ominous smile. _And he doesn't even know that there's more coming…_ Harry chuckled to himself, and walked out of the room.

"Wait! How did you perform that spell with my wand?!" Harry's father called out to him.

"Magic!" Harry shouted back cryptically.

XXXXXX

Ten minutes later, James collapsed on Harry's bed, both physically and mentally exhausted. While he was undoubtedly proud of his son for his successful prank, making James think that Snivelly and Lily were together was just...cruel. The more James thought about it though, it was rather impressive that Harry had pulled off wandless magic...too impressive.

Even if Harry was a genius, there was no way he had performed a spell verbally at such a young age. Sirius must've been hiding somewhere, and casted it for him. That was the only possible explanation. James shook his head at his unbelievably immature best friend, only to see that Sirius was now bottle feeding his daughter. The way he acted around Alaina, verses the way he was around Harry, was like night and day. Harry and Sirius would be the death of him one day. That is, if James didn't kill them first. While he may be a father now, the Marauder in James wasn't about to take the prank lying down.

James mustered all of his strength to get himself out of bed. He then walked down to the kitchen. After opening the fridge door, he quickly cast a charm on the pineapple juice. Harry was the only one who actually liked pineapple juice, and practically drank it at every meal. His son would be in for a...surprise after tea. James would have to think of something else to get back at Sirius, but he was just getting started.

_XXXXXX_

Remus arrived at the Potter's residence in Godric's Hollow for dinner that evening. After a whole day of working odd jobs, it was nice to be able to enjoy a nice, home cooked meal, courtesy of Lily, with Harry helping her cook sometimes. Remus never ceased to be amazed by his surrogate nephew. Even though he'd grown up in a home where everything was provided for him, Harry still did his best to help out around the house. And it wasn't just Harry's willingness to help out that was impressive, but he was also extremely skilled when it came to gardening, cooking, and many other tasks. If Remus didn't know any better, he would've thought that Harry had spent his whole life working.

"Hey, Moony!" Harry greeted. "Sit down. Mum and I have prepared a Shepherd's Pie for tea. You can start now if you want. Mum's in the loo, and Dad and Padfoot are quarreling like an old married couple. Padfoot and I played a rather...amusing prank on him earlier, and his pride has been severely wounded. I mean, even more wounded than it was before, seeing as he has recently found out that his five year old son is a better flyer than him. But really, eat something now. You look rather peckish."

"Sounds lovely. Thank you, Harry," Remus replied gratefully, taking a seat in the chair closest to him.

"Oh, don't sit there or there," Harry said quickly, pointing to two seats, one of which, was the one that Remus had just sat down in.

"Why…?" Remus asked suspiciously. As a Marauder and former master prankster himself, Remus was always on guard.

"Those two are for Dad and Sirius. There's a little...surprise in there for them," Harry replied.

"Do I even want to know?" Remus asked, amused.

"I mean, probably not, seeing as you're a mature adult that no longer engages in petty prank wars. But...you'll find out soon enough anyway, so there's no point in telling you," Harry answered. "Don't worry, I didn't put anything in yours," Harry added.

"Do you mind if I verify that?" Remus asked, pulling out his wand.

"Not at all. Go ahead," Harry nodded.

After Remus had deemed his food "safe to eat", he picked up his fork, and dug in. It really was delicious.

Lily walked in soon afterward, holding a child, and looking rather frazzled. "Sorry I took so long, Alaina just sicked all over my shirt, so I had to change it," Lily apologized. "Remus, so good to see you," Lily greeted, squatting down and giving Remus a quick one armed hug. Lily then pulled out the chair Remus had chosen earlier, and sat down with Alaina. "I'm starved!" Lily exclaimed, picking up her fork.

"NO!" Harry yelled, throwing the fork across the room. "That seat's for either Dad or Sirius! Sit here," Harry dragged his mum to what he called a "safe seat".

"Why do I have a feeling that this is something I don't even want to know about?" Lily asked rhetorically.

Remus laughed as Harry smiled (somewhat) innocently in response.

"Harry, can you go get your father and Sirius? The food's going to get cold if those two don't come down here soon," asked Lily.

"You talking about us, Lily Flower?" Sirius teased, winking.

"Oi, Padfoot, stop flirting with my wife!" James joked.

"Oh, right. You're still a bit sensitive after the whole 'affair with Snivellus'," Sirius snorted. "Mate, I really thought you were going to beat the hell out of your son!"

"Beat Harry? What are you talking about?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Uh...nothing. Just an...inside Marauder joke," James responded sheepishly.

"Basically, Harry and I convinced James that Lily and Snape were having an affair with some Polyjuice," Sirius whispered to Remus. "I wish you'd been there, Moony, it was hysterical. Though, I'm fairly certain Lily would not approve, which is a shame, because it was hysterical."

"Seeing as Polyjuice can be highly dangerous if incorrectly brewed, Lily would probably banish you from this house if she found out you let Harry ingest it," Remus whispered back. "Maybe...I should tell her what you told me," Remus added with a gleam in his eye.

"You wouldn't dare," Sirius hissed back.

"Fine, I won't," Remus replied with an eye roll. "Just eat your food, it's getting cold," Remus said, holding back a giggle. He was rather curious about _what_ exactly Harry had put into the food, after all.

Remus noted that if Sirius had been paying attention, he probably would've noticed that James's nose had grown quite a bit, and his hair was turning greasy. Unfortunately for his friend, Padfoot hadn't noticed until he'd already shoveled in three whole mouthfuls.

"What the hell?!" Sirius exclaimed. Both his and James's faces were bubbling, and their appearances were slowly taking the form of none other than their childhood rival.

"Harry!" James sputtered. "Wasn't once enough?!"

"I can't believe you made me look like Snivelly!" Sirius pouted.

"Harry! How did you do this?!" Lily scolded her son.

"Magic," Harry replied casually. "Thought that much was obvious." Harry shrugged.

"Yes, but how would you even perform a Glamour Charm? You're underage, and that's above NEWT level magic!" Lily exclaimed. "Sirius, was this your idea?!"

"No, of course not. I would never encourage something as illegal as underage magic! This was Polyju...I mean, nevermind," Sirius replied sheepishly, no doubt realizing that admitting to allowing Harry access to a potentially dangerous potion was probably not a good idea.

Unfortunately for Sirius, Lily seemed to have put two and two together, and figured out what he was about to say. "You brewed Polyjuice for my son?! But...you're not even that good of a potioneer! You could've gotten Harry killed-"

"James is the one who took it, not Harry," Sirius pointed out.

"Actually, I did take it. See, I pranked Dad earlier, and pretended to be Snape. Hence, the almost beating me up tidbit we were talking about earlier," Harry added with a smile, probably knowing that if anyone was going to be held responsible for this, it was Sirius.

Somehow, Lily looked even more murderous than she had before. At the moment, Remus really believed that this may be the end of Sirius Black. "I can't believe you! It's not only irresponsible to brew a potion like that for my son, but to let him ingest it? That's another level of recklessness!" Lily screeched.

"Oh, Sirius didn't make it himself, we bought it weeks ago at Knockturn Alley, shortly before Alaina was born," Harry replied, looking way too smug for a five year old.

"YOU TOOK MY SON TO KNOCKTURN ALLEY?!" Lily shouted. "James, take Alaina, please," Lily handed her daughter to her husband.

Remus shook his head at Sirius. "It was nice knowing you, mate. What do you want me to say in your eulogy?"

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius muttered back. Sirius then turned to Lily, whose face color was now the same color as her hair. "Look, it was just for a few minutes, we-"

Harry interrupted his godfather, with a devious look on his face. "Oh, if you're worried about how much money we spent, don't be. We got a really good discount from this underground street dealer. Said his name was Dung, or something." Remus had a feeling that Harry was adding fuel to the fire on purpose, in an attempt to get Sirius in trouble.

"MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER? THE MAN KNOWN FOR DEALING ILLICIT DARK ARTIFACTS AND POTIONS?!" Lily fumed.

"Wait...are you saying that you gave me some sketchy drug dealer's Polyjuice? And you did the first test on yourself?" James asked incredulously. "Wow, Prongslet, that's risky, especially for a young Marauder-in-training, like yourself," James added proudly. "Looks like you're on the right track to carrying on the family legacy. Oh, Minnie's going to have a heart attack when she realizes that you're just like your old man!"

"JAMES!" Lily shouted. "THIS IS NOT A JOKE!"

"Come on, Lils. No one was hurt. And...you have to admit, if Padfoot had bought a full priced potion from Diagon Alley, this would've been a harmless, funny prank. You can kill him another time. And the poor man already looks bloody terrified," James reasoned, seeming to take pity on his friend.

"Fine," Lily relented. "But you two," Lily pointed at Harry and Sirius, "Are going to spend this weekend de-gnoming the garden. And _no_ funny business, you understand?" Lily glared at the two.

"Yes, Ma'am," the two in question responded sheepishly.

"Just so you know," Harry began (Remus had a feeling that whatever Harry had to say, would probably get Sirius in more trouble), "when we were at Knockturn Alley, Sirius met a Veela. She was super pretty. I think her name was Katrina. He then brought Katrina back to his house with us. Unfortunately, I didn't get to speak with her that much."

"Wow, really?" Remus asked, amused. "And...what did Sirius do with this Veela once you went to his house?" Remus continued, having already guessed the answer. However, he wanted to hear the five year old's perspective on what had happened.

I'm not really sure," Harry started. "They went to Sirius's room for some 'alone time'. I then heard them panting upstairs, but I just assumed they were exercising, you know, playing some kind of sport. It seemed like Sirius was working harder, because he was moaning really loudly. She was probably winning whatever game they were playing. You see, she kept screaming 'yes' and-"

Remus was a little disappointed that he didn't get to hear the rest of Harry's rather amusing account of Sirius's misdeeds, as Lily interrupted her son and glowered at Sirius. "YOU HAD SEX WHILE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BABYSITTING MY SON?!"

Remus couldn't help himself, and it seemed that James couldn't either. He and James howled with laughter, while Sirius looked like a deer caught in headlights. Remus could've sworn that he'd seen Harry stick his middle finger up at Sirius discreetly, but he wasn't sure. But what he was sure about, was that Harry was one exceptional child.

"Would you like some pineapple juice?" Harry asked Remus.

"No, thank you," Remus replied as Harry got up to pour himself a glass.

Remus turned to look at Harry, when he noticed that Harry's skin had changed color. His entire body appeared to be colored bright purple, and to add icing to the cake, he was sparkling. It seemed as though Harry had realized that the juice was likely the culprit, as he quickly ran over to the sink, and poured it out.

"Seriously, Sirius? And if you make one more pun with your name, I will hex your arse," Harry threatened.

"Look, Prongslet. I'm not just saying this because I don't want to get in trouble with your dear old mum, but really, this wasn't me. Skin color changes...it is amateur, really," Sirius replied.

"Who are you calling an amateur?" James asked defensively. "And for your information, that won't wear off for two weeks."

"Oh, in that case, it's not bad, Prongs," Sirius acknowledged.

"Two weeks? You turned my baby purple for two weeks?" Lily turned to James angrily. "What if I want to take pictures of him, but because of you, he looks like a grape?"

Remus just laughed and turned to Harry, who didn't seem too upset. It seemed that the two of them (plus Alaina), were the only ones at the table not currently in too much trouble with Lily(or any at all, in Remus's case). Maybe Remus didn't have any blood relatives anymore, but he still had a family.

**December 25th, 1985**

"We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!" Harry and his family chorused.

Christmas time at Godric's Hollow had easily become one of Harry's favorite things. Every year, Remus and Sirius would come over on Christmas Eve for dinner, and then they'd stay the night. In the morning, the family would bake cookies, sing Christmas carols, and open presents.

"PRESENTS!" Harry exclaimed with enthusiasm. Harry often found himself enjoying being a child, as he could talk without a filter, and no one expected him to reign in his enthusiasm. After all, most five year olds got excited about presents.

Harry ended up getting a book called _How to Become an Animagus_ from Sirius (Lily was not impressed, but Harry assured his mother that he would use it purely for academic purposes. Not that he was telling the truth, after all, the son of a Marauder was practically expected to become one.), a package of assorted Zonko's products from Remus, fireworks and Dungbombs from his father, and a copy of _Tales of Beedle and the Bard_ from his mother.

As for what Harry had gotten for everyone else? He gifted some joke candy to Sirius, a homemade scrapbook for his Mum, a stuffed dog, stag, and wolf for Alaina, and some anti-Animagus Transformation potion (which forced the person who drank it to either not be able to change into an animal for three weeks, or not be able to change back into a human, depending on what form they'd taken while drinking it.) for his father. The last gift was a reference to the prank James had pulled on Sirius, as retaliation for the "Snape affair prank". James had tricked Sirius (in his dog form) into drinking the potion, and Sirius had been stuck as a dog for three weeks. Harry, of course, found it hilarious, and would love it if his father could do it again.

Last but not least, Harry waited in anticipation for Remus to open his gift.

"Harry, is this what I think it is?" Remus asked, looking like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"If you think it's a freshly brewed Wolfsbane potion for the full moon on the 27th, along with a few months supply of Wolfsbane potions ingredients, and a 6000 Galleon voucher for the potions store in Hogsmeade. By the way, that store carries everything you need, I checked. So if that's what you were thinking, then yes. And I know that potions aren't your strong suit, but luckily for you, Mum does potions for a living, and she's already agreed to help you brew it. Who do you think brewed your first batch? Now, I know that it's a relatively new invention, but word on the street is that it allows for werewolves to keep their minds during the full moon," Harry replied.

"But...Harry, I can't accept this. This must've, no, this definitely cost a fortune. I'm the adult, so I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you," Remus refused.

"Moony, come on. It's not like the Wolfsbane ingredients would do me much good. And seeing as I don't particularly care for potions, that 6000 Galleon voucher would just go to waste. Besides, I was only able to afford it, because I exploited my fame, and took money from some celebrity worshippers. It's only fair that some of my greed is allocated to a good cause," Harry reasoned. "And I don't care how old you are, I will always take care of my family."

"I don't—I—thank you, Harry," Remus replied, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're incredible, Harry. You don't know how much this means to me, really," Remus added, embracing Harry.

Harry happily hugged the man back, just glad that he'd been able to convince Remus to accept the gift. It really hurt Harry to see how exhausted and sore Remus got after the full moon, and could only hope that his Christmas present would help the man.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**July 30th, 1988**

Harry roughly fell out of the Longbottom's fireplace, coughing out the ashes he had inhaled. He quickly picked up Neville's present, as it had fallen on the floor. Floo travel would never be pleasant for Harry, ever. He'd showed up earlier to help the Longbottoms set up, while his parents, Alaina, Sirius, and Remus would be arriving in a few hours.

"Harry!" Neville yelled excitedly. "You're here! By the way, I can't wait for your birthday tomorrow, I got you the perfect present, I can't wait for you to open it-"

"Nev, it's the 30th today, not the 31st. This day is supposed to be about celebrating you. You're eight years old, mate!" Harry replied, hugging his best friend.

Neville blushed at Harry. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. It's your birthday, you can cry if you want to," Harry smiled.

"I actually was crying earlier," Neville admitted, obviously missing the reference to the muggle song. Neville looked mortified, as he most likely hadn't meant to confess this to Harry.

"What? Why? Are you alright, Neville?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Umm...it was nothing, really. My Uncle Algie was just worried about me. You know how I haven't shown any signs of magic yet?" Neville asked.

Harry nodded, not liking where this was going.

"Well, Uncle Algie knew that Mum and Dad wouldn't like him doing it, so he did it when they were out shopping for nosh. I was so scared, I-I couldn't stop crying. But at least he squeezed some magic out of me. H-h-he said I should be laughing, not crying," Neville stuttered out nervously. The poor boy was probably scared that his uncle would be upset with him for telling someone.

"Did what, Neville?" Harry asked angrily. "What did Uncle Algie do?"

"He-he," Neville began, before taking a deep breath. "He threw me out the window on the top floor. I-I-It's nothing, Harry, really. I bounced all the way into the flower garden, and he got me to show magic."

Harry vaguely recalled Neville mentioning Uncle Algie back at the welcoming feast in first year. However, seeing as Harry has been a bit overwhelmed with learning about the magical world, and had been 11 at the time, he hadn't really paid much attention to Neville's comments.

"Where's Uncle Algie?" Harry whispered dangerously.

"I-I-I-In the kitchen," Neville whimpered.

"Are your parents back yet?" Harry asked.

"Y-Yeah, Mum and Dad just got back. They're helping Uncle Algie set up in the kitchen. I don't think Gran's there though, she's taking a nap," Neville responded, looking like he was about to wet himself.

"Perfect," Harry replied before storming into the Longbottom's kitchen. He noted that Neville was trudging nervously behind him.

Harry saw Frank and Alice Longbottom at the kitchen table, setting up food trays. He quickly waved at them, before marching up to a bald, portly man.

"Hello, are you Uncle Algie?" Harry asked, doing his best to stay calm.

"Yes, and who might you be?" Algie replied.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter," Harry replied in a pompous tone, straightening his back to exert confidence.

"Oh, of course. Mr Potter! When Neville told me he was friends with you, I was rather surprised. I've heard that you're a very powerful wizard, while my nephew is nearly a Squib! I couldn't imagine what such a force like yourself...would be doing with him!" Algie said, clearly not caring that Neville was right beside Harry, and could hear everything he was saying.

"Neville's my best friend, and he's brilliant. He's brave, smart, friendly, and I'd trust him with my life. I don't appreciate your tone, Algie," Harry responded menacingly.

Neville looked touched by Harry's comments, but whimpered upon seeing Algie glare at him.

After Algie stopped glowering at his nephew, he turned to Harry and smiled tersely. "Of course, Mr Potter," he replied nervously.

Harry noted that Frank and Alice were now looking at them, and were clearly listening in. Perfect.

"Is it true that you threw Neville out of a four story window earlier today?" Harry clenched his teeth.

"WHAT?" Harry heard Alice screech from the other side of the room.

Harry looked at Algie pointedly, and finally, the man responded. "Well...yes. But you don't understand, Mr Potter. The boy is eight, and hasn't shown any signs of magic! I had to make sure he was not a Squib!" Uncle Algie defended himself nervously.

"And what if he had been a Squib? You would've just been okay with him dying?" Harry hissed dangerously.

"O-O-Of course not!" Algie denied.

"If Neville's magic hadn't kicked in, he could have died. What were you planning on doing if he really was a Squib, and had gotten seriously hurt as a result of YOUR ABUSIVE ACTIONS?!" Harry yelled. He'd been trying so hard to keep his voice down, but the man was just so infuriating.

"B-But he's not a Squib!" Algie pointed out.

Harry scoffed at the pathetic man's poor attempt at defending himself.

Before Harry had a chance to unleash all of his fury on the man, Alice stepped in. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!" she screamed.

"B-But…" Algie stammered.

"OUT! NOW! AND YOU ARE NEVER WELCOME BACK!" Alice yelled.

Good riddance.


	8. Platform Nine and Three-quarters

**July 24th, 1991**

"Just concentrate, you really need to concentrate, Prongslet. You're almost there, you've already gotten your head to grow antlers, but now, you need to transform the rest of your body. Once you get the full transformation down, transforming back to a human is easy. Also, I need you to not get stuck with antlers on your head for the rest of the day. As you know, Lily would have my head if she found out I was teaching you to become an Animagus," Sirius instructed.

"I know, I'm trying!" Harry complained. "Nothing's happening!"

"Just close your eyes and relax. Think of the stag you're about to transform into, and imagine yourself running through the Forbidden Forest with me, Moony, and Prongs. Happy thoughts allow for your body to be more relaxed about an Animagus transformation, which is stressful on the body at first," Sirius responded. "You need to get this down before you go to Hogwarts! It'll be much harder for me to help you once you're there."

"Yeah, Padfoot. I know. You've mentioned that before," Harry replied, slightly annoyed.

"You know what? Let's work on getting you back to normal before Lily Flower comes home from the healer with Alaina. I don't really fancy a lecture from her about how I'm 'endangering you'," Sirius shuddered.

Harry nodded in agreement, and did his best to get rid of the antlers. After a few seconds, he touched the top of his head, only to find that they were still there. "Ugh, you know, Transfiguration never was my strong suit," Harry admitted.

"Come on, you're what? Technically around 30? We Marauders had this down in our fifth year, including Peter. And that pathetic rat had absolutely no skills at all! We've been at this for a few years now!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Hey, physically, I'm 11. Becoming an Animagus takes physical strength, which I, as a prepubescent boy, am lacking. You said it yourself before, if I were still physically my age, I'd have it by now. Cut me some slack. Besides, if Pettigrew really was so untalented, how did he get the best of you that night you went to Azkaban? You know, that time you abandoned your poor, innocent godson, and got yourself locked up," Harry fired back.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, when James walked through the door. Harry looked at Sirius wide eyed. His father wasn't supposed to be back from work for another two hours. Now, Harry knew his father probably wouldn't be opposed to the idea of Harry becoming an Animagus, quite the opposite. But seeing as it was quite advanced and potentially dangerous magic, he wasn't sure how James would feel about his son trying to become an Animagus before he'd even gotten his Hogwarts letter.

"Hello!" James greeted. "Kingsley offered to take over for the rest of the day, so I got off early. By the way, Padfoot, he wants you in a little earlier tomorrow."

"Hi, Ja...Dad!" Harry answered nervously as he attempted to obscure himself behind Sirius.

Sometimes, Harry almost accidentally called his father James, instead of 'dad'. This was because when he'd actually been a child, he hadn't known his parents. Now, as an adult pretending to be a child, he saw his dad more as a peer, a best mate, or a brother figure, rather than a father. After all, mentally, they were about the same age.

Harry must not have done a very good job at concealing the two large antlers sticking out of his head, because James walked right behind Sirius, and gaped at his son.

"I'm a stag too, surprise!" Harry said awkwardly, stepping out from behind Sirius, and putting his hands out in a 'ta da' gesture.

James continued to gawk at him for a good minute before finally seeming to find his words. "But...but you're not even 11 yet! I didn't even get this far until near the end of fourth year!" James exclaimed, clearly amazed. "I take it you're going to try and get rid of the antlers before Lily gets back?"

Harry nodded. He closed his eyes again, and really, really tried to transform back into a normal human. Nothing. Harry sighed, and walked over to a chair to sit down, when suddenly, he felt his body...shift. He felt weird, almost like he was standing on...four legs! He'd done it! Granted, at the current moment, it had been a complete accident, but he'd done it!

"About time, Prongslet!" Sirius applauded happily.

"Well, looks like Prongslet _is_ your Marauder name. You're a baby stag!" James declared happily before transforming into a much larger stag.

Harry giddily chased his father around, finding it slightly frustrating that his father had longer legs than him. He supposed his Animagus form would grow once he got older, but as of now, he was losing in the race.

Sirius then transformed into a big, black Wolfhound, and barked happily. His tail wagged as he wrestled with the two stags. Harry was a bit dismayed to find that even as a stag, he was still smaller than Sirius. The three animals chased each other around, though Harry found himself very disgruntled by the end of it, as he could never quite keep up with the adult Animagi.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?! HARRY, IS THAT YOU?!" Lily screeched, walking in on the scene as she held Alaina's hand.

Whoops. They were dead.

XXXXXXX

After a rather long lecture from Lily about how irresponsible, dangerous, and illegal what they'd done had been, she handed Harry his Hogwarts letter. Apparently, the owl carrying it had arrived just as Lily and Alaina had gotten home. Harry looked down at the letter, noticing the signature Hogwarts seal, and grinned. While he'd loved growing up with his parents and being able to enjoy his childhood, going to Hogwarts meant being able to see all of his friends again.

Mr Harry J Potter

Third Bedroom on the Left

45 Godric's Hollow

Harry read through the letter, and noted that the book lists and supplies were the same as last time. Guess that meant he'd still have all of the same teachers, including Quirelldemort.

"Oh, Harry! Is that it? Is that the Hogwarts letter?" Alaina exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Can I see it?!"

"Alaina, honey. Why don't you wait for Harry to finish reading it first. The first Hogwarts letter is very important and exciting," Lily said gently. "Afterwards, I'm sure he'd be happy to let you see it."

"No, that's okay, Mum. I'm done with it. Here you go, Alaina." Harry handed the letter to Alaina.

Alaina jumped at Harry in excitement, and threw her arms around him. "Thanks, Harry! You're the best big brother ever!" The (nearly) six year old almost knocked him over.

"Woah there, Alaina," Harry said as he tried to stop himself from falling under his sister's weight. While she was only six, she was an early bloomer, and was only a few inches shorter than her brother. At the rate she was growing, she'd be over six feet tall by the time she was of age.

"Sorry, Harry," Alaina apologized sheepishly. She glanced over the writing on the letter, probably unable to read some of the words. "Can I go to Hogwarts with you, Harry?" Alaina asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Lainie," Harry said gently. "You have to wait until you're 11. I'll be back for the winter holidays, though. I promise to tell you all about it then," Harry said sincerely.

"You mean, you'll be gone for a ton of days?" Alaina asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, just because I won't be here, doesn't mean you can't contact me. I'll write to you every day if you want. Plus, I have Dad's two-way mirror, and Uncle Padfoot has the other, so you can borrow his any time you want to talk to me, okay?" Harry comforted his baby sister.

"O...Okay," Alaina replied, wiping away her tears.

Harry hugged his sister tightly, and continued to reassure her that he'd be there for her no matter what, even if he was at Hogwarts.

XXXXXXXX

**July 31st, 1991**

The Potters had planned on taking Harry to Diagon Alley for his school supplies on his Birthday together. Unfortunately, James had been called in to work, as there'd been a breakthrough on a crime case he'd been working on. Since today wasn't one of his official scheduled 'days off', James had no choice but to go in. Sirius had maturely stuck his tongue out at James, as he had not been called in to work. There'd also been an emergency at St Mungos on the same day, and Lily was needed there to help them brew additional healing potions. On top of all that, Alaina had fallen ill that morning, with a high temperature and cough (she was given some Healing Potions, but those took several hours to kick in). So they'd called Remus over to the Potters' house to look after Alaina, while Sirius took Harry to Diagon Alley.

Harry and Sirius had absolutely no interest in picking up first year supplies, so they'd gotten Kreacher to do it for them. Harry had also specifically instructed Kreacher to pick up a white, snowy owl. The house elf had been extremely kind to the two of them (in comparison to before), ever since they'd destroyed the Horcrux locket. Kreacher carried the destroyed locket pieces around everywhere, in a sack that he tied around his wrist.

"What a nutter," Sirius muttered to Harry as Kreacher Apparated away.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. He is treating us nicely now," Harry pointed out. "Hey, mind getting me a Nimbus 2000? It is my birthday, after all. I do still plan on making the team this year. Alaina will be thrilled to get my Nimbus 1990."

"Fine. But don't be expecting a Firebolt for Christmas third year. This time, I've been around for all your life, so I have nothing to make up for," Sirius agreed. "Anyway, the only thing Kreacher can't get for us is your robes, seeing as they're personalised to your measurements. You'll have to go into Madam Malkin's and get those yourself. Meanwhile, I'm going to head to Knockturn Alley and see if I can find anything...interesting," Sirius said mischievously.

Harry shook his head as he watched his godfather head towards Diagon Alley, most likely to purchase something illegal. He was a bit curious as to what it was, but he figured that he'd find out soon enough.

Upon stepping into Madam Malkins, Harry noticed a pale, blond boy standing on a stool, looking bored out of his mind. Right, he had first met Draco Malfoy for the first time at Madam Malkin's, hadn't he?

While he and Draco had been arch rivals the first go around, Harry really couldn't be bothered to deal with that this time. Besides, now that he was older, he could recognize that in some ways, Draco had been a victim. He'd been brainwashed into believing the racist beliefs that his parents held, and had only been doing what he could to make them proud. When it came down to it, Draco hadn't had the stomach to kill anyone, and hadn't given Harry's identity away when asked at the Malfoy Manor.

Draco had ended up marrying Astoria Greengrass, a Ravenclaw who didn't believe in blood purity. Harry had heard rumors that the two of them had a rather strained relationship with Lucius and Narcissa, due to them not approving of her tolerance for others. And through all of the drama, Draco had stood up for his wife. Perhaps with age, Draco really had matured, and changed for the better. And maybe, if Harry could make him see the error of his parents' prejudiced ways, he could get Draco to change his views earlier. Maybe. It was worth a shot. Either way, having a Slytherin ally couldn't hurt.

Harry stepped onto the stool next to the blond boy, and gave him a friendly wave.

"Hello," Draco said. "Hogwarts too?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I don't really see the point in going to Durmstrang. I heard they speak primarily Bulgarian there, and I don't really want to learn another language. I suppose Beauxbatons could be fun, as there are a ton of Veela girls there, but again, they mostly speak French, so there's the whole 'foreign language issue' again. There's always the American schools, but I think it'd be a bit of a culture shock for me to go all the way over there. "

"Father wanted to send me to Durmstrang. At least they have a respectable headmaster there, instead of the old coot Dumbledore. Mother didn't want me to go that far away, and she threw a fit, so Father dropped the idea. You're right about the foreign languages though, that'd be a hassle," Draco acknowledged.

"I suppose you could always use a translator spell, but again, that's unnecessary work," Harry replied. "Anyway, Dumbledore may be an old coot, but he is a powerful wizard."

"Father says he's mad," Draco answered.

Harry shrugged. "Eh, I'd wager he is. But they say mad people are often the most intelligent."

Draco didn't seem to have a response to this, and changed the subject. "Anyway, my father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking at wands," Draco said with the same bored, drawling voice he'd had in the previous timeline. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

"The rule is pretty dumb," Harry agreed. "My godfather's gone to go get me a Nimbus 2000. I plan on putting a Disillusionment Charm on it, and sneaking it into school. Even if they did catch a first year, like myself, with a broomstick, I could always claim that a second year or up let me borrow theirs. Besides, what are they going to do, expel me?" Harry scoffed. As if Dumbledore would ever let the "Saviour of the Wizarding World" get expelled.

Draco looked very impressed by Harry. "That's a good idea, but I...don't know how to perform a Disillusionment Charm," Draco said, looking embarrassed. "And I don't think Mother or Father would perform one for me on a broomstick, without asking questions," Draco admitted sheepishly, blushing slightly. The kid had probably never _not_ been able to get something in his life.

Harry did his best not to laugh at the kid, even though the old him would've found an embarrassed Draco Malfoy hilarious. "If you want, I can buy you a broom after we're done getting robes. I take it your parents didn't give you enough pocket money for today to get a broomstick, and they'd be suspicious if you asked to go back to your vault right away?"

Draco nodded.

"I get a pretty good discount at Quality Quidditch Supplies, seeing as my broomstick line there has made them a fortune. You can always pay me back later. That way, you can sneak your broom home, then sneak it onto the Hogwarts Express. I can help you undo the spell once we get there," Harry offered.

"You have a broomstick line?" Draco asked skeptically. "Which one is yours?"

Harry just lifted his bangs in response, smiling smugly at Draco's shocked expression.

"Merlin! You're Harry Potter! I thought you looked familiar! They sell signed pictures of you at Flourish and Blotts!" Draco exclaimed, looking amazed. "Father said you'd be starting this year, but...I thought you'd be a bit taller. You're rather small," Draco added. He seemed to be sizing Harry up.

"Hey, just because I defeated Voldemort, doesn't mean I have to be six feet tall," Harry shrugged. _Besides, I'll eventually have a growth spurt..._

Draco gasped. "You're not supposed to say the Dark Lord's name!"

"Why shouldn't I? The bastard tried to kill my godfather, and I killed him instead. I have nothing to be scared of," Harry replied nonchalantly.

Draco recovered quickly from the shock, and once again, his bored expression was back. "Father says it's foolish to say the name."

Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself," Harry answered, stealing Dumbledore's line. "Besides, if you don't want to call him by his 'villain name', you can always call him by his given name."

"And...what's that?" Draco asked curiously.

"Tom Riddle," Harry informed.

"But...but Riddle is not a name of any magical family I know." Draco looked puzzled.

Harry laughed. "Ironic, isn't it? The big, bad wizard with a blood purity agenda is secretly a Half-blood. Who knew? What a bloody hypocrite!"

"You're lying," Draco accused.

"Why would I lie?" Harry countered.

Draco once again seemed lost for words. After shaking his head in disbelief, he asked, "I don't think they should allow anyone who's not of our kind in, do you?"

"Not of our kind? You mean Vampires, Merpeople, Centaurs, and the like? I think most of them have their own schools anyway, but I believe that if they want to attend Hogwarts, they should be able to. Of course, I think there is a rule against drinking fresh blood at Hogwarts, so that would make it a bit difficult for blood-lusting vampires. Also — Merpeople would want a place with a plethora of water, considering the fact that they need it 24/7 — in order to breathe, which makes Hogwarts an impractical option for them. " Harry said thoughtfully.

"I wasn't talking about half-breeds, I was talking about Mudbloods," Draco said.

Harry reminded himself that Draco was an ignorant child, repeating his parents' words. There was no use in getting angry. However, he really should let Draco know that the word was unacceptable. "You shouldn't use that term, Draco. It makes you sound like an ignoramus."

"Oh, don't get all sanctimonious on me, Potter. I suppose you believe that wizards and Muggles are equal as well?" Draco queried, looking not disgusted like Harry had expected, but almost...curious. Harry also found himself a bit impressed with the 11 year old's vocabulary before he remembered that Draco _had_ been ranked second in their year, after Hermione. Despite his learned ignorance from his parents, the Slytherin was fairly intelligent.

"Well, everyone deserves to live freely and equally," Harry shrugged again. _Time to pull out my inner Slytherin..._ "If you want to be friends with me, and I assure you, you do, then you can't use the word 'Mudblood' or 'blood traitor' around me or my friends. My name offers you privileges and power, which I'm sure you'll want. But...if you insult any of my friends around me, we can't be friends. Deal?" Harry offered his hand to Draco.

Draco looked at him thoughtfully. "Deal," Draco replied, taking his hand. "But for the record, this doesn't mean that I agree with you."

"That's okay," Harry said cheerfully. "Everyone is entitled to their own wrong opinions. Even if they are just repeating Daddy's quotes, word for word."

Harry noted that Draco looked a bit miffed, but didn't bother dignifying the statement with a response. Most likely, he didn't want to get on Harry's bad side. Ultimately, someone like Draco probably wouldn't want to lose such a 'powerful' friend. Also, seeing as what Harry said about "repeating Daddy's words" had definitely been true, it wasn't like Draco could deny it.

XXXXXXXX

After Harry had finished waiting for Draco to finish getting fitted, the two of them left the store together. At first, Harry wondered why he'd been done before Draco, even though Draco had been there first, but quickly realized that it was probably a result of his celebrity status.

"Mother and Father are meeting me here, but I'll ask them if we can go look at brooms together," Draco told Harry. "There they are!" Draco pointed to Narcissa and Lucius. They looked significantly younger than they had in the previous timeline, especially Lucius. Azkaban had not been kind to the man.

Harry spotted Sirius walking towards them, broomstick in hand (Sirius was giving Harry a rather odd look), and waved to his godfather. "That's my godfather, Sirius Black," Harry told Draco.

When the three adults finally made their way over to the kids, Harry felt a chilly atmosphere arise. "Cousin Sirius," Narcissa said coolly.

"Cissy," Sirius nodded at Narcissa tersely. "And...Cissy's husband. Sorry, as you know, I wasn't on the best terms with my family, so I never did learn your name," Sirius lied, looking extremely unapologetic.

"Lucius Malfoy." The older blond man looked like he wanted to strangle Harry's godfather, but held out his hand, anyway. Probably because he realized that Harry was an influential figure, and wanted to be on his good side. After all, Lucius was probably the one who had instructed Draco to befriend Harry in the first place. For all they knew, Harry could be the next 'dark lord', seeing as he had defeated Lucius's former master.

Sirius ignored Lucius's hand, and turned to Harry. "I got you your broomstick, along with something fun for us to try from Knockturn Alley, because I am the best godfather in the world," Sirius informed him. "Can we go now?"

Before Harry could respond, Draco's mother interrupted him. "You bought your godson something from Knockturn Alley?" Narcissa asked disapprovingly.

"Oh, as if your husband doesn't go there on a daily basis, selling dark artifacts," Sirius retorted.

Presumably because what Sirius voiced had been true, and they didn't want to confess to committing several illegal acts, the Malfoys didn't riposte.

"What are you doing?" Sirius hissed into his ear.

"Networking," Harry whispered back.

Sirius still seemed confused, but turned back to the Malfoys. "So how's life after being 'Imperiused into working with Voldemort'?" Sirius taunted.

"That's not something to joke about, Black," Lucius snapped.

"Anyway," Harry interrupted. "Now that we've established that parents and parental figures aren't always the most 'upstanding citizens', and some of them are irresponsible tearaways," Harry looked pointedly at Sirius, "Draco and I have something to ask of you. I know Sirius already got me a broom, but I wanted to go look at some of the other designs myself. Since it's much more fun to look at brooms with a friend, Draco and I wanted to go together. Can we go?" Harry pleaded. "By the way, I'm Harry Potter," Harry informed Draco's parents, though they had probably already figured that out.

"Please?" Draco begged, looking desperate.

"As long as you're back within a half hour, honey," Narcissa replied, kissing Draco on the cheek.

"Mother!" Draco admonished, a tinge of red manifesting on his pale skin.

"Of course," Lucius added. "It is a pleasure to meet you, by the way, Mr Potter," Lucius offered Harry his hand.

Because Harry was a mature adult (unlike his godfather), he shook the Death Eater's hand. "And you, Mr Malfoy," Harry said respectfully.

Harry didn't wait for Sirius to give him permission to go. This was partly because he was fairly certain that the man would say no, and also because he was a fully grown man that didn't actually need his godfather's blessing to do anything. "Let's go, Draco," Harry said quickly, grabbing Draco by the arm.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So...your godfather is my mother's cousin?" Draco asked as the two admired all of the different brooms. "I wonder why I've never met him…" Draco looked thoughtful.

"Sirius was disowned by his parents. As you can probably tell, he was a bit of a handful to deal with, and his parents were pricks," Harry answered. "Of course, they never got around to officially disinheriting him, so he's technically 'Lord Black' now."

"I guess that makes the two of us related, in a way," Draco remarked.

"Well, if you think about it, most wizard families are related to each other somehow. Pure-bloods often have to marry within the family to keep a pure line, and you end up with a bunch of inbred kids," Harry mentioned.

Draco once again seemed speechless. It appeared as though Harry now had that effect on a lot of people.

"I'll get you a Nimbus 2000, it'll come in handy when you're Slytherin's new seeker this year," Harry informed Draco. "You can pay me back on the train," Harry added, paying the cashier.

"What makes you say I'll be the new seeker?" Draco asked, looking both excited and intrigued.

"I had a dream that I would be made the new seeker of Gryffindor. I'm a Dream Seer," Harry replied.

Draco gave him a confused frown. "But...why does that have anything to do with me?"

"You'll see, Draco," Harry answered cryptically.

Draco just looked at him strangely. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask...how did you know my name was Draco? I never told you that."

"Um...my dreams told me," Harry lied lamely.

Draco gave him another odd look. Luckily, at that moment, the cashier handed Draco his new broom, and Draco dropped the topic, too busy admiring his new broom.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So...what exactly is this?" Harry asked, taking a swig of the potion Sirius had bought from Knockturn Alley. The two of them were currently at a playground a few blocks away from the Potter house.

"It's a drug...of sorts. It can cause hallucinations and euphoria. I believe a similar substance in the Muggle world is called LSD, or acid," Sirius replied.

"You gave me, your 11 year old godson, acid?" Harry questioned incredulously. "What if I don't want to be high as fuck when we get back home?"

"You're the one who drank it before finding out what it was. Besides, you're actually 30, not 11," Sirius pointed out.

"That's true," Harry acknowledged.

"Anyway, Mundungus said this stuff kicks in a lot faster than the Muggle version, in around five minutes. It should last around eight to nine hours, depending on the person," Sirius informed him.

"Have you done this before?" Harry asked curiously.

"Once—a long time ago. I did it at Hogwarts with the rest of the Marauders. It made Moony so paranoid that he was convinced that he was Voldemort. He locked himself in a closet, muttering some nonsense about 'being in hell'. Wormtail just laid on his bed and spent the whole time coloring, while your father and I just wandered around the castle, enjoying the hallucinations," Sirius answered, looking nostalgic.

"Shouldn't we…" Harry began, when suddenly, the bright colors around him made him lose his focus. "Woah...It's beautiful," Harry said dreamily.

"Life is beautiful!" Sirius proclaimed. "I just...I just want to look at life, and feel the Earth. I want to be anything. Hell, I can be anything. I can be a duck, a bird, a cat, or a dog! I am a dog!" Sirius giggled, transforming into Padfoot.

"Padfoot! You can't do that, it's illegal!" Harry exclaimed, looking around to make sure there was no one watching them. Unfortunately, his surroundings kept moving, and he couldn't tell if there was one person there, or if there was a crowd watching him.

"I am a deer!" Harry declared, transforming into a stag. Harry quickly transformed back. "Now I'm a human! Life is beautiful, isn't it? I think I said that already, but it really is!"

"Indeed," Sirius agreed, now back in his human form. Sirius looked around dreamily. "I just want to love...love is gorgeous. Death is bad, unless it is Voldy Pants," Sirius cackled.

"Or Bellatrix!" Harry exclaimed. "Molly Weasley truly became an angel when she killed the bitch!" Harry laughed, taking out his wand and reenacting the fight. "Mrs Weasley was like, 'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!', and then it was boom, boom, boom! And Bellatrix exploded into a bunch of confetti! Man, I can see it now! I just saw it again, but this time, I was Mrs Weasley! Maybe I am Mrs Weasley! Is my hair red?" Harry queried.

"Molly killed Bellatrix?" Sirius asked incredulously, not answering his question. "I guess I didn't give that woman enough credit," Sirius admitted.

"I can see it now! It's happening right now, again! This time, I'm not Mrs Weasley, though," Harry repeated, happily watching his mother figure take down Sirius's killer.

Suddenly, the scene around Harry changed, as Sirius slowly morphed into Fred Weasley, and dropped dead. Then, the swing set turned into Snape, being eaten by Nagini. More and more people appeared, all of the bodies, lined up in front of Harry. "NO!" Harry cried. "I tried to stop it!" Harry sobbed.

"Harry, Harry, calm down. Whatever you see, it's not real," Sirius grabbed his godson's shoulders. "We should get you home, maybe this wasn't a good idea. Moony might know a spell to lessen the effects."

Harry closed his eyes, and saw bright yellow sparkles. That was much better. When he opened his eyes again, the playground was back. Everything was still moving around, and the colors were still so, so bright, but the dead bodies were gone. Right. It wasn't real. Maybe nothing was real. Maybe Harry Potter wasn't a real person.

"Nothing is real anymore!" Harry cried out gleefully. The euphoric feeling was back. "Everyone is free! Let's go back to my fake house, and not eat any fake food, because it is fake! Everything is fake!"

Sirius cackled, the worry from earlier gone. "I think we can fake Apparate home! Because you're absolutely right, everything is fake!"

"One, two, three!" Harry counted before grabbing Sirius, and disappearing with a _POP!_

XXXXXXXX

Harry and Sirius landed in the sitting room of the Potter house, though it took a minute for Harry to comprehend what was going on around him. The world still felt peculiar, and quite truthfully, Harry was shocked that he still remembered his own name.

"Woah, Moony! Why are you holding a small version of my mother? And why is Lily sleeping?" Harry wondered. "Or maybe she's holding you...I can't tell. Wait! Now, I remember! I have a sister. A sleeping sister," Harry giggled.

"Harry? Sirius?" Remus asked suspiciously. "Merlin, you two are high, aren't you!"

"Maybe you're high," Harry argued. "Maybe the world is high. Maybe, we're all just high during our normal states, and when we do drugs, we're low!"

"That doesn't make any sense," Remus said, looking exasperated.

"You don't make sense!" Sirius retorted defensively.

Harry heard a creaking noise, but couldn't tell if the door had really just opened, or if it was another hallucination.

"Remus? Are Harry and Sirius back yet?" Lily called out.

Oh no, they were in trouble. If his mum saw him high, he'd be grounded until he went to Hogwarts! "We're not back yet!" Harry blurted out. "Sirius and I are still at Diagon Alley! We'll see you soon!" Harry continued, trying to act sober.

Harry saw Remus put his head in his hands, almost as if he was experiencing secondhand embarrassment. Weird. He thought he'd been doing a good job at covering up his impaired state from Lily.

"Lily! We are currently not in the house, but you can leave us a message. We'll tell ourselves the message later...when we do get back! We will be our own messengers," Sirius added. "Oh, we're good at this," Sirius whispered loudly to Harry.

"No, you're not!" Remus whispered back sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Harry? Sirius?" Lily stared at him and his godfather warily as she walked into the room.

_What? How did she know we were home? We just told her that we were still at Diagon Alley! Oh no, we really can't get caught!_

"I am not Harry Potter," Harry laughed nervously.

"Really? Then who are you?" Lily questioned dubiously, taking a step closer to him, gazing directly into his eyes.

"I am no one. Because no one exists," Harry answered. At this point, he wasn't even sure what he was saying. The words coming out of his mouth sounded...weird. "That's Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry added helpfully, pointing to the place his godfather should've been standing. For some reason, his godfather was now Bellatrix. The world kept changing around him, it was rather strange.

Lily frowned at him before her eyes widened. "ARE YOU TWO ON DRUGS?!"

Before Harry could respond, Kreacher Apparated into the room. "Master Harry, sir! Kreacher comes bearing yous school supplies! Kreacher also has yous owl!" From the sounds Hedwig was making in Kreacher's arms, she didn't seem too happy at the moment.

Lily stared at Kreacher for a moment before turning to Harry and "Bellatrix". "You two got a house elf to do your shopping? What the hell have you been doing all day, then?! GETTING HIGH?!" Lily asked incredulously.

_Yup. We are definitely dead. For real, this time._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**August 29th, 1991**

Harry smiled as he, Lily, Sirius, James, Remus, and Alaina walked into the reptile exhibit at the zoo. It was a different zoo from the one he'd gone to with the Dursleys, but it was only a ten minute drive from the other one. Harry's grounding was officially over now, so Lily decided that before Harry went off to Hogwarts, the family needed to have one last get together.

Harry walked up to the snake enclosure, and hissed at the glass. _Might as well show off my "dark talent"._ "Hi, my name is Harry, what's yours?" Harry asked.

"I'm Sarah," the snake hissed back.

"You're a Parselmouth, Harry?" James gaped at him.

"Yep," Harry responded nonchalantly.

"And you didn't think that was important information to tell your parents?" James protested, as Remus, Lily, and Alaina, looked on curiously.

"It's not like the ability to talk to snakes comes up in conversation much," Harry pointed out. "And I'm pretty sure at one point, I did mention fighting a Basilisk, and talking to it," Harry answered.

"Yes, but that was just another one of your imaginary stories. You should've told us in a more serious manner," James insisted.

"Imaginary stories? Do you really have no faith in us, James. Harry and I always tell you nothing but the truth," Sirius interjected.

James ignored his best friend.

"And would you have believed me, if I'd told you without proof?" Harry wondered.

"Well, probably not," James admitted. "You are a strange one, son."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry replied, grinning.

Harry turned back to Sarah. "Hey, I'm going to get rid of the glass soon for you. Do you think you could just jump on my father (he's the other guy with glasses), and scare him a bit before you escape? Don't actually hurt him, just make him scream a bit. You know, just as a prank."

"Yes," Sarah agreed. "How are you planning on vanishing the glass?"

As Harry was about to respond, he was pushed to the ground by a rather large boy. "Mummy, Daddy, look! Look at what it's doing!"

"Dudley?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Who're you?" Dudley's eyes narrowed.

Lily gasped. "Petunia?"

Aunt Petunia stared at her sister before snapping at her. "You and your freaky family need to get out of here! I don't need you freaks scaring my little Diddykins!"

"Tuney, please, I've missed you!" Lily leaned in to hug her estranged sister, only to be spat on.

_Oh no, she did not!_

"Out! Get out!" Aunt Petunia shrieked before secreting behind her massive husband.

Harry got up off the ground, and made his way to Sarah again. "On second thought, don't go after my father. Go after those three," Harry pointed out the Dursleys. "Ready?"

"Ready," Sarah answered.

Harry discreeetly pulled his wand out, and vanished the glass. He chuckled as he watched Uncle Vernon, Dudley, and Aunt Petunia scream, trying and failing to get away from Sarah. _Rip!_ It seemed as though Dudley's trousers had been too tight, and while he'd been trying to get away, they'd finally given out.

Finally, on Harry's signal, Sarah slithered away. "Thanks," Sarah said gratefully.

"Anytime," Harry replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**September 1st, 1991**

Harry, James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, and Alaina arrived at the station together. It was weird to have so many family members coming to see him off, but Harry found that he quite enjoyed it. Sometimes, his new, perfect life still felt so surreal.

"You have your invisibility cloak, Prongslet?" James double-checked.

"For the fifth time, Dad, yes. And yes, I do plan to use it to sneak around the castle." Upon noticing Lily's glare, Harry added, "just kidding," before winking at his father.

"Packed with Muggles, of course," Harry looked up at the sound of Mrs Weasley's voice, and spotted a group of redheads.

Harry quickly followed them to the barrier, desperate to see his second family again.

"Now, what is the platform number again?" Mrs Weasley asked. Ginny had later explained to him that Mrs Weasley did this each year, just so the younger Weasleys who weren't going to Hogwarts could feel included.

"Platform nine and three-quarters!" Ginny piped up. "Mum, I want to go too!" Ginny whined.

Though there was no way he'd even consider dating her until they were much, much older, Harry was still thrilled to finally be able to see Ginny. The sweet, innocent version of her, who hadn't been possessed by Voldemort, hadn't lost a beloved brother, and hadn't fought in a war. Hopefully, if he played his cards right, she'd never have to experience any of that again.

Harry briefly wondered how the Weasleys had managed to arrive so early this time around, seeing as last time, they'd showed up with just ten minutes to spare. Harry didn't think he'd done anything to warrant such a change. The Dursleys going to a different zoo at a different time, made sense. The family dynamic was probably a bit different without a fourth person in the house (even if all they did was bully said fourth person). Therefore, it wasn't that far fetched that without Harry there, the places they went had changed. Though Hermione had told him during the end of third year, that even tiny changes with time travel could cause a huge ripple effect. Oh well, this change didn't seem like that big of a deal. At least this way, he and the Weasleys had time to "get to know each other" prior to getting on the train.

Before any of the Weasleys had gone through the barrier, Harry approached them. "Hello, I'm Harry, Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself, offering his hand to Mrs Weasley. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around the woman who'd once been like a mother to him, but he just barely held himself back.

"Wow, what a polite, young boy," Mrs Weasley commended him, taking his hand. "I'm Molly Weasley. Is this your first year at Hogwarts?" Mrs Weasley asked kindly. Harry nodded. "It's Ron's first time too."

"Hi, Ron," Harry greeted his best mate. "Do you want to find a compartment together when we get on the train? My friend, Neville, will probably be joining us too."

Ron gaped at him and said nothing. Harry saw one of the twins nudge him, and Ron finally spoke up. "Erm...yeah, that sounds great!" Ron's ears went pink. "Do you...do you really have…" Ron began.

"Do I really have what?" Harry questioned.

"The scar," Ron whispered with wide eyes.

Harry lifted his bangs. "Oh, this ugly thing? Yeah, it's rather unfortunate that curse scars don't fade. I suppose having an atrocious looking scar is better than being killed by Voldemort, anyhow," Harry replied nonchalantly.

There was a series of audible gasps from the Weasleys. "You said the name!" Ron exclaimed.

"Seeing as I killed him, there's no need to be scared of little Voldy. He also lost in a duel with a defenseless infant, so, if anything, that shows he's one of the weakest wizards of all time," Harry shrugged. "Anyway, I know your names," Harry gestured to Ron and Mrs Weasley, "but who are the rest of you?" Harry prompted.

"I'm Gred-"

"I'm Forge-"

"We have a feeling-"

"That we like you, see-"

"We can sense a troublemaker from miles away and-"

"We believe you will help us liven up the school-"

"And carry on our legacy after we leave."

Harry smiled at the two. He'd forgotten that they used to talk like that. After Fred had died, George had never been the same. It was almost like he'd lost a part of himself.

"And, you are?" Harry inquired, turning to Percy. While Percy had never been his favorite Weasley when he was a kid, in a way, Harry understood why he was the way he was. He was definitely more ambitious than the rest of the family (he was probably a Slytherin at heart), and that had made him the butt of all the jokes, an outcast. Despite all the things he'd done, he'd come back to his family in the end, and Harry respected that.

"Percy Weasley—Prefect—and future Head Boy. If you ever have any questions about Hogwarts, I'll be more than glad to be of service," Percy said pompously, offering his hand.

Harry could hear Fred and George snickering in the background, but he ignored them, as he didn't want to offend Percy.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind, thank you," Harry said sincerely. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Perce. Can I call you that?" Harry requested with a friendly smile.

Percy seemed surprised by Harry's kindness and immediate acceptance. "Um...yes, Harry, you can."

Last but not least, Harry turned to Ginny. "What's your name?"

"I-I-I'm Ginny," Ginny whispered shyly.

Harry gently put his hand on Ginny's shoulder, "Nice to meet you, Gin," Harry smiled.

Ginny shrieked, and quickly hid behind her mother. Hopefully, she'd eventually get over her fan-girling.

"This is Lily, Prongs, Moony, Padfoot, and Alaina," Harry introduced his family, deliberately using the Marauders' nicknames.

Fred and George gawked at the Marauders, looking like they might faint. "Moony-"

"Padfoot-"

"And Prongs?"

"The makers of-"

"The Marauders Map?"

James and Sirius grinned, while Remus nodded awkwardly.

Instantly, the twins got down on their knees. "We're not worthy!" the two exclaimed repeatedly.

"Please teach us your God-like ways-"

"Oh, masters of mischief-"

"We owe you our lives!"

Whereas Harry's father and godfather looked amused, Remus seemed a bit uncomfortable with the attention, but smiled slightly, nevertheless.

"I take it you nicked our map from Filch's office?" James guessed, looking impressed.

"Yes, first year!" one of the twins responded. "It's bloody brilliant!"

"You're our heroes!"

"More than just our heroes, we worship you!"

"We built a shrine to you-"

"In our bedroom!"

"Can we have your autographs?" the other twin beseeched, pulling out a piece of parchment and quill.

James and Sirius eagerly signed the parchment messily. Conversely, Remus took his time, neatly writing his name, and writing the twins a short message.

"Harrykins, your Dad is a Marauder-"

"Which means this map belongs to you-"

"We couldn't possibly take-"

"What is rightfully yours-" One of the twins took the map out of his pocket, and handed it to Harry.

"How about we share it?" Harry suggested. "I'm sure we'll be able to wreak twice as much havoc if we both use the map to pull pranks," Harry suggested.

The twins looked at each other. "Deal," they said in unison.

Harry gave the map back to the twins. "Here, you two can hang onto this for now. I'll let you know when I need it."

"Are you-"

"Sure?"

"We really don't want to-"

"Take something from a Godly son."

"Positive," Harry replied. "As long as you promise to use it to cause chaos to the best of your ability."

"We promise, thank you, son of God," the twins proclaimed in unison.

The other Weasleys looked utterly confused at the whole exchange, as to them, the map likely looked like a worn piece of parchment. Also, it was probably a strange sight to see Fred and George literally groveling at Harry's family.

"Wait...who's-" one twin began.

"Wormtail?" the other finished.

The three Marauders glanced at each other.

"He's a Death Eater who betrayed my parents, and almost got Padfoot killed. Bit of a soft spot for them. I'm pretty sure Wormtail's been disowned by them, anyway," Harry explained in a whisper.

The twins nodded in understanding.

"We should probably head through the barrier now," Molly informed them. "There's only ten minutes to go now. Harry, would you like to go first, dear?"

"Oh no, that's okay. You guys were here first, go ahead."

Harry waited for the Weasleys to finish going through before preparing to run through the wall himself. Right then, he heard a familiar voice. "Wotcher, Potters, Moony, Padfoot!"

"Hey, Tonks," Harry replied. Harry had met Tonks a few times in this timeline, and Harry learned that even when she was younger, she was just as bubbly and fun-loving. "Where are your parents?"

"I kind of...broke part of the house earlier while I was packing my things," Tonks admitted sheepishly. "So I just Apparated here by myself."

Harry didn't bother asking how Tonks had "broken part of the house", knowing that she'd most likely tripped, and somehow set off a chain of events that had destroyed the house. Quite frankly, it was amazing that Tonks had made it through her childhood without a severe brain injury.

Shortly thereafter, Harry finally ended up making it onto the train a meager second before it took off. "BYE, HARRY!" He could hear his sister screaming, and watched as she ran after the train. Harry waved to his family (just like the other first years this time around), until he couldn't see them anymore. When he'd gone to Hogwarts in his previous life, he'd always been so eager to leave home. Now...it was a lot more bittersweet. Harry brushed off his emotions, knowing that if he really missed his family that much, he was fully capable of sneaking out of school.

Turning to Ron, Harry asked, "want to find an empty compartment?"


	9. Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you get to this chapter and want to read more, you can head over to fanfiction.net, since I'm still working on cross-posting to here.

Harry and Ron wandered around, looking for an empty compartment, before finally settling in at one on the end of the train. Harry was surprised that he hadn't run into Neville yet, but then recalled that Neville had lost his toad the last time, and was probably dashing around the train, looking for Trevor.

Ron spent a prolonged period of time goggling at him, before finally seeming to work up the courage to talk to him. "Are you actually Harry Potter?" Ron asked.

"As a matter of fact—I'm Severus Snape's kid, I was just pulling your wand earlier. I'm Snivelly Snape," Harry lied, just barely containing a giggle. Harry felt a scintilla of guilt for messing with Ron, but knew that growing up with Fred and George, Ron could definitely take a little joke.

Ron, being the naive 11 year old kid that he was, seemed to buy his cock and bull story. "Really? The mean professor Fred and George told me about?" Ron lowered his head suddenly, probably realizing that if Snape was indeed Harry's father, he might take offense to that. "Sorry," Ron added quickly.

"Eh, don't apologize. He's just salty because the love of his life married his childhood bully, and ended up having a kid that looked exactly like said bully. He may not be evil, but he's sure bitter as hell. The man should probably see a therapist. It's not normal or healthy to hold onto grudges for so long," Harry remarked.

"Then why were you with those people at the barrier?" Ron wondered.

"Since Dad's a teacher, he couldn't ride the train with me, so he had some friends drop me off," Harry replied.

"B-But...your scar…" Ron pointed out.

"Dad's a big Harry Potter fan. He pays five Galleons a month to be in the fan club, owns the entire Harry Potter broomstick line (even though he can't fly to save his life), and hangs a picture of The-Boy-Who-Lived on his bed frame. Because of his rather unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter, he forced me to get plastic surgery in order to get a scar on my forehead. It was rather painful," Harry answered, trying extremely hard not to laugh.

"Plastic surgery?" Ron asked again.

"Oh, it's this Muggle thing where doctors (the Muggle version of Healers), can put different things on your face and other body parts, reshape them, or remove them. In some cases, it can cause permanent nerve damage, exfoliation, and even death, but Dad thought it was worth it," Harry replied.

"Woah…" Ron looked horrified.

Just then, Draco Malfoy entered the compartment, this time without Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey, Draco," Harry greeted. "Where are your goons?"

"Goons? You mean Crabbe and Goyle? Wait...how do you even know about them? You know what, never mind, you'll probably just tell me you had a dream about them. Anyway, I heard that Harry Potter had arrived on the train, and since I owe you money, I thought I might as well pay you back now. Malfoys don't really like 'owing people one'. As for Crabbe and Goyle? I figured that if I've got a powerful wizard like yourself on my side, then I have no use for a couple of dingbats that don't know one end of the broomstick from the other," Draco explained.

"If you're looking for Harry Potter, that's not him. That's Snivelly Snape, Professor Snape's kid," Ron informed Draco, eyeing him suspiciously. Though Harry was pretty sure that Ron hadn't figured out that Draco was a Malfoy (due to the lack of contemptuous glaring towards the blond boy), he probably suspected that Draco was a future "evil Slytherin''. Although, why Ron hadn't given Harry (as "Snivelly Snape") the same dubious look, he wasn't sure. Maybe because when he'd first met Harry, he was under the correct impression that he was Harry Potter, and he still wasn't over the fact that he'd _almost_ (well, actually) met a celebrity.

Draco dropped the money he owed in Harry's lap, then directed a befuddled look his way. "He asked me if I was really Harry Potter. It was the perfect opportunity to play a little prank on him," Harry explained.

Scoffing, Draco said, "how dense are you, Weasley? Severus Snape doesn't have a child. I should know, he's good friends with my father. Can you imagine him shagging someone?" Draco shuddered. "Not that your lack of intelligence shocks me. My father told me all about your family. You all have red hair, hand-me-down robes, and more children than you can afford. Us Malfoys are much more civilized, and don't bring shame to the name of 'wizard'," Draco sneered. "Besides, who in their right mind would name their kid 'Snivelly', anyway?"

Ron turned beet red, and looked like he was about to pounce on Draco, so Harry stepped in. "Hey, Dray, remember the deal we made at Diagon Alley? Let me give you a refresher—just in case you've forgotten. If you're going to be friends with me, then you can't insult any of my other friends," Harry reminded Draco. "Same goes for you, Ron," Harry added, just so Draco wouldn't feel like he was being singled out. Plus, as much as Harry loved Ron, the boy could be extremely prejudiced against Slytherins, especially in his younger years. It couldn't hurt to show him that his views were flawed, as well.

The two boys went silent, and instead opted to just glare at one another. Finally, Ron asked again, "so you're actually Harry Potter?"

"Yup," Harry replied. "Sorry about messing with you, I honestly didn't even think that you'd buy that story," Harry laughed. "Your brothers were right, I tend to make a joke out of everything I can. I learned that from my Dad and godfather. But really, I really do want to be friends, that is, if you'll have me as a friend."

"O...Of course!" Ron nearly shouted. The kid seemed even more starstruck than he had last time, most likely due to the fact that this time around, Harry was an even bigger celebrity, due to his merchandise.

"Calm down there, Weaselbee, you don't want to wet your trousers," Draco teased. If Harry didn't know any better, he would've thought the teasing was almost...friendly. Nah, he was probably just imagining things.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron grunted, clenching his fists. _So much for the two of them being friendly..._

Luckily for Harry, the Trolley Lady arrived right then, momentarily delaying the impending fight between the two 11 year olds. Hopefully, Harry would be able to keep the peace between those two at least until they got to Hogwarts. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked.

Harry and Draco bought a huge selection of sweets, while Ron mumbled about having corned beef sandwiches.

"Hey, it seems as though Draco and I have way more food than we can eat. Why don't you share some of our stuff, and I can eat your corned beef sandwiches?" Harry suggested.

Draco looked like he was about to protest, but Harry silenced the Slytherin with a look. It seemed as though appearing more confident and influential, naturally made Draco fall in line with everything Harry said. After all, Draco was a Slytherin, which meant that he instinctively tried to befriend powerful people. And since Harry appeared to know everything about the wizarding world this time around, it wasn't like Draco could try to be the dominant one in their friendship by offering to show Harry the ropes. Quite the opposite, in fact. Harry was the one with the fame, fortune, and talent. All in all, there was nothing that Draco could offer to Harry that he didn't already have, and it seemed like he knew that.

The three boys stuffed their faces mostly in silence, with the occasional 'pass the Chocolate Frogs', or 'are there any Sugar Quills left?'. It was nice and peaceful, albeit a bit awkward, but in all honesty, it was probably better if Draco and Ron didn't talk too much.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," Hermione said, barging into their compartment.

"Hey, I've lost my toad, have you guys seen...oh, hi, Harry," Neville greeted, walking in right behind Hermione. Harry deduced that the two had probably split up to search for Trevor, but hadn't coordinated all too well, and ended up in the same compartment.

"There you are, Nev! I've been looking all over for you. Here, let me summon him for you. _Accio Trevor_!" Harry waved his wand lazily. At least this time, he could make a good impression on Hermione.

A few seconds later, a very angry sounding toad came soaring into the compartment. Everyone in the compartment, save Neville (who was aware of Harry's magical prowess), stared at Harry, clearly amazed.

"How did you do that? I've read through all of our spell books three times already (and have them all memorized, of course), and I didn't see that spell anywhere!" Hermione exclaimed, looking embarrassed. Of course, _Hermione_ would be embarrassed about not knowing a spell that wasn't taught until _at least_ fourth year.

"That's just Harry being Harry," Neville answered. "Don't ask me how he knows _everything_. Somehow, without even trying, he's an expert at whatever he does."

"I can teach you how to do it, if you want," Harry offered, flashing Hermione what he hoped was a friendly-looking smile.

Hermione nodded eagerly, Draco seemed indifferent, Neville appeared to be nervous (most likely insecure about his magic skills), and Ron looked like he'd rather keep stuffing his face.

"Alright, you just move your wand like this, and say, _Accio_ , then whatever object you'd like to summon," Harry demonstrated. "Why don't you all try it," he suggested.

The four of them attempted to summon various objects, but Hermione was the only one who managed to succeed. Her trunk came flying in, nearly knocking Ron out in the process. Draco seemed to find this amusing, and nodded at Hermione in appreciation.

"Blimey, that was amazing! Especially to summon such a large object on your first try! I bet you're going to be the top of our year," Harry commended. Even as a child, Hermione did not fail to impress him. However, he might be lying about her being first in their year, though. Harry was fairly certain that with his advantage of being an experienced, adult wizard, he would outperform Hermione, even if she was a genius. Besides, Sirius would tease him on a daily basis if he let an 11 year old girl beat him in any of their classes.

Draco bobbed his head in agreement. He seemed to be taking a liking to Hermione (at least, thus far), though that was probably because he hadn't learned about her parentage yet. An ignoramus like Draco probably assumed that any talented wizard _had_ to be a Pure-Blood.

"You really think so?" Hermione asked hopefully. "Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard. As I've already mentioned, I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

Draco gaped at her. "You're a Mud-" Harry shot Draco a look, "a Muggleborn?" Draco asked distastefully.

Luckily Hermione didn't seem to notice Draco's disgust, as she was likely still far too excited about the aspect of going to Hogwarts, to really pay him much attention. "Yes, my parents didn't even believe my letter when I first got it. They thought it was one of my school bullies…" Hermione blushed, "I mean, one of my friends playing a joke on me," Hermione finished sheepishly, undoubtedly ashamed of admitting that she'd been picked on in the past. "I just, I'm a bit worried that I'll be behind everyone else. After all, most people have probably known about magic all of their lives," Hermione confessed nervously.

"Well, of course you should be-" Draco began.

Not liking where Draco's statement was going, Harry intervened. "There are plenty of people that come from Muggle backgrounds before getting their letters. My mum is one of them. She ended up being the top of her year, so that's just one piece of evidence that shows that Muggleborns aren't any different from Pure-Bloods. Also, I'm pretty sure no one else, myself included, bothered to even glance through their textbooks, so you're probably way ahead of everyone else. You're a talented witch, Hermione. Your successful summoning spell is proof of that. You're going to be just fine," Harry reassured her. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way."

"Are you really?" Hermione asked eagerly. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"Oh, I am, aren't I? I totally forgot about that. I'm pretty sure my lawyers are working on suing the publishing companies for historical inaccuracies, more specifically, for libel. However, I'll have to double-check on that," Harry stated.

"Historical inaccuracies?" Hermione wondered, looking a bit scandalized that someone would suggest that books could be inaccurate. After all, to her, they were probably sacred.

"Oh, yes. Seeing as the only people there that night were Sirius, myself, and Voldemort, and the only people who found out the story firsthand were my parents, Moony, and Dumbledore, none of the books are accurate. Also, none of us gave any interviews to the reporters, so everything is just pure speculation that is stated as fact," Harry informed Hermione.

"I'm sure some of the written history on that night has to be accurate," Hermione insisted.

"Wizards don't really put much stock into fact-checking, resulting in a lot of libel lawsuits just waiting to happen. Of course, I'm pretty sure that I'm the first one to actually sue a big publishing company, but hopefully, I can set a precedent so others will follow suit," Harry answered.

Hermione looked intrigued, but also revolted by the fact that wizards often printed fiction as fact without any repercussions.

"Anyway," Harry began again, changing the subject. "That's Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, and of course, you already know Neville Longbottom. Say, why don't you and Neville stay here? We have a plethora of candy just needing to be consumed."

Ron looked apprehensive, most likely a bit overwhelmed by Hermione's enthusiasm, and Draco looked appalled at the thought of sharing a compartment with a Muggleborn. However, neither of them said anything, probably afraid to contradict Harry and have him retract his offer of friendship. _Am I really that intimidating this go around?_

XXXXXXXXX

As the five of them stepped off the train, Harry heard a familiar voice. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

"Hiya, Hagrid!" Harry greeted cheerfully.

Hagrid looked at him funny and asked, "do I know yeh?"

"I'm Harry Potter. My parents, Sirius, and Remus, told me all about you. They said you keep the school up and running." Harry smiled at the first friend he'd ever made.

"R'lly? Yer parents 'ere summa the bes' people 'round here, specially yer mother. She's a grea' lady, yer mum," Hagrid replied kindly.

Harry smiled back. "It's nice to see you, Hagrid." He wrapped his arms around the Half-giant. Hagrid seemed a bit surprised at first, but quickly returned the hug.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't get a chance to say much more to Hagrid, as a hoard of first years had arrived, and they all began walking towards the lake.

"Why were you hugging the school servant?" Draco asked curiously.

"He's an old friend of my parents," Harry replied. "And before you say anything, he's my friend too, so he's included in the list of people that you aren't allowed to insult," Harry added fervently.

Draco just shrugged, and let the topic go.

Harry heard a croaking noise, and noticed Neville's toad, Trevor, on the ground. "Hey, Nev. You must've dropped Trevor while we were leaving the train," Harry said, handing the amphibian to his friend.

"Thanks, Harry," Neville replied gratefully.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out, pointing to the familiar boats he'd ridden in the first time around. Harry briefly wondered why they made first years ride in boats across the lake, when it couldn't be that hard to lead them to the carriages.

Harry quickly climbed in a boat, and Draco, Ron, and Hermione quickly followed him. Neville looked on longingly, awkwardly standing by the boat, looking like he might burst into tears. "Hey, Hagrid?" Harry called out. "Is it alright if I perform an Extension Charm so Neville can ride in our boat? You see, these four are all my best friends now, and I don't want anyone to be left out," Harry said, pointing to Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and using his cute, green eyes to his advantage.

"I dunno 'arry," the Half-giant replied, looking conflicted. "School rules 'ave always been no more'n four to a boat."

Harry quickly cast the Extension Charm. "See, Hagrid? Now there's plenty of room for Neville to join us. Hop in, Neville," Harry offered his hand to Neville, which his friend gratefully took.

Hagrid seemed astounded by Harry's advanced display of magic. "I s'pose t'okay," Hagrid relented.

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry responded, smiling at Hagrid to show his appreciation.

XXXXXXXXXX

"The ceiling is enchanted to look like the sky, I read about it in _Hogwarts: a History_ ," Hermione informed them as they walked through the Great Hall.

Draco rolled his eyes, "no one cares, Granger."

Ron laughed, seeming to agree with Draco, before quickly turning away, probably remembering that he was supposed to hate Draco.

"That's fascinating, Hermione," Harry reassured her, turning to glare at the two rude boys.

"I wonder how they sort us into Houses," Neville said nervously. "Mum and Dad wouldn't tell me. I hope they don't make us do magic, I'd get kicked out right away."

"Fred and George went on about having to fight a troll," Ron remarked.

Neville turned pale, and the poor kid looked about ready to run out of the Great Hall that moment.

"Don't be daft, Weasel. Dumbledore may be insane, but he wouldn't make a bunch of first years fight a troll. That would just be dangerous and unsanitary," Draco responded, wrinkling his nose.

Hermione ignored them, and began nervously muttering a series of spells, trying to figure out which ones she may need to use in the potential 'sorting test'.

"Don't worry, Hermione, there's no test. Think about it, a bunch of untrained first years firing off spells at once? That's just a disaster waiting to happen. There's an old talking hat that they put on your head. It reads your mind, and sorts you," Harry tried to comfort his worried friends.

Apparently, his attempt to console them did nothing of the sort, since they didn't seem to believe him.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "That's even more unlikely than Weasley's troll idea. Let's entertain the notion that you're correct, just for a second. How did you even know about the hat? Did your parents tell you? Because it's Hogwarts tradition that no one lets slip about the sorting process."

"No, of course not. My parents would never break such an old tradition! I had a dream about it," Harry replied.

His four friends just stared at him as if he was insane. Oh well, they'd find out that he was right soon enough.

When the sorting hat was finally brought to the front of the room, Harry heard his friends gasp, unable to grasp the concept that somehow, though seemingly outlandish, his statement had actually been correct.

The sorting went exactly the same as it had last time, until finally, McGonagall called his name. "Potter, Harry!"

"The Harry Potter?" someone whispered.

"He's said to be the most powerful wizard in existence. Even more powerful than Dumbledore!"

"Yes, yes, yes. It is very unusual to have a celebrity student in school, so I can understand your excitement," Harry announced loudly as he began walking to the front.

Harry noticed McGonagall give him a rather fond, yet exasperated look, probably realizing that she had another James Potter to deal with for seven years. The other teachers just seemed shocked, and as he got closer to the head table, he could've sworn he'd felt either Dumbledore or Snape attempt to probe into his mind. Harry decided that if someone was trying to use Legilimency on him, it was probably the former. Snape most likely just assumed he was another arrogant, attention-seeking boy like his father had been. Hardly something worth using Legilimency to verify.

"However," Harry continued, "I would ask that you please refrain from invading my privacy, or asking me to show you my ugly scar. Seriously, why is everyone so interested in seeing a part of my body that has been permanently mutilated? Scars are very private things that some people can be very insecure about. It'd be like me asking to see your scars from a botched magical circumcision, or something else of the like. If you're a fan, just know that I appreciate you, and I'm grateful for all the support. Remember to buy my merchandise from over 25 stores in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and if you'd like to join my fan club, it's only five Galleons a month. I'll be handing out order forms tomorrow morning if you'd like to order any merch via mail. Thank you," Harry finished, before bowing dramatically.

Looking over in Snape's direction, he could see that the Potions Master looked very much like he wanted to inflict bodily harm on Harry. It seemed like he might actually hate Harry more than he hated the Marauders, if that was even possible. He'd be slightly concerned if it weren't for the fact that Lily would never speak to the man again if he did anything to her little boy, so Harry was relatively safe. Probably, anyway.

Harry darted up to the hat, and quickly put it on his head.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Especially since it seems as though I have sorted you once before…"

 _It wouldn't be so difficult if you just kept me in Gryffindor._ Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but I pride myself on making the best choice...the one that allows you to achieve greatness," the hat countered.

_I defeated Voldemort at the age of seventeen, slayed a Basilisk at the age of 12, won a school-wide death tournament at 14, and...shall I go on? That sounds like greatness...if you ask me, of course._

"However, going back in time to save your family, even though you never knew them. That sounds like Hufflepuff loyalty to me," the hat argued.

_Except for the fact that I tripped through the Veil, and had no idea that I was going back in time. I didn't fall through the Veil with the intention of saving my family...it just kind of happened. The whole thing was a fluke. Besides, you could call it disloyalty, if you look at it another way. I was disloyal to my friends in the other timeline by up and leaving them._

The hat huffed in frustration. "You don't like making things easy, do you?"

Harry shrugged. _Where's the fun in that?_

"You seem to possess a great deal of intelligence. Not many 11 year olds have your extensive knowledge. Perhaps Ravenclaw would be a good fit for you," the hat tried again.

_You're forgetting that "my intelligence" comes from actually being a 30 year old man. Back in my original timeline, I was rather mediocre. Hell, it took me seven years to defeat Voldemort. If Hermione had been the Chosen One, I'd wager she'd only need around five._

"Fine, I suppose you've got a point there. However, I still see a lot of Slytherin in you, especially with the way you've handled Draco Malfoy. Using your name to appeal to him, in order to gain a Slytherin ally. That's not only very cunning, but it is also pretty ambitious. Surely, Slytherin will help you on your way," the hat suggested.

_I don't really fancy being in a House where half the kids' parents support a man who once tried to kill me. Besides, I think Sirius and my dad may actually disown me if I were to be sorted into Slytherin. They're not the most mature people, you see._

"Fine, I suppose I can't force you to be in a different House," the hat relented. "Just know that this would have been a lot more fun for me if you were just a bit more flexible," the hat groaned. "Better be...GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindors gave Harry a standing ovation, cheering louder than they had for anyone else. Celebrity bias, obviously. Harry took a seat between Percy and Hermione, and waited for Ron to get sorted.

XXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Harry put a silencing charm in his area. Sometimes, he still had bad nightmares, and he did not want to scare his new roommates. It really had been an exhausting day for him, and if found himself drifting off almost immediately.

" _Lily, it's him! Take Harry and run. I'll hold him off!" James cried out._

_Moments later, James's body hit the ground._

" _NO! NOT HARRY! PLEASE, TAKE ME INSTEAD!"_

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort yelled._

_Lily screamed, and she too, fell to the ground, her body limp._

"AHHHHHH," Harry screamed, awaking with a start. He glanced around at his surroundings, and was relieved once the memories started flooding back to him. _It was just a dream, Mum and Dad are fine. Remus and Sirius are alive. I have a baby sister now, I have a family. Everything is fine._

Harry desperately tried to get his breathing under control, but he couldn't quite calm himself down. Whenever this happened at home, he would sneak into Lily and James's bedroom, and sit on the floor, listening to them breathing. He needed physical evidence that they were alive, or else he would go mad.

Checking the clock, Harry noted that it was midnight. He opened his trunk, and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Now would've been a great time to have the Marauders' Map, but he wasn't about to wake Fred and George up at this time of night, especially with classes in the morning.

He made his way through the secret passage that led straight to the Honeydukes cellar, before Apparating right outside the Potter house at Godric's Hollow.

_Be quiet. Just check and make sure that Mum and Dad are okay, and then leave. If they catch you here, it'll look really suspicious. And it isn't like I can tell them that I Apparated here from Hogsmeade. Even for me, that'd be unbelievable._

Harry tiptoed through the kitchen, and carefully made his way up the staircase. Halfway to the top, he crashed into somebody.

"What...Harry?" Lily asked, looking concerned. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Are you alright, sweetie?" Lily started looking him over, presumably for scratches, bruises, or blemishes of any kind that indicated if he was hurt.

Not being able to help himself, Harry threw himself at Lily, and sobbed into his mother's shoulder. "Mum, you're okay!" At the moment, Harry didn't feel like a grown man, but a scared, young child who just craved his mother's comfort.

"Of course I'm okay, honey," Lily reassured him, embracing him tightly. "What happened?"

"I...I had a nightmare," Harry confessed, deciding that it was better to tell the truth (at least, mostly).

"What was it about?" Lily inquired gently.

"Voldemort...he...he found you guys at home with me, and he killed you and Dad," Harry choked out. "I'm sorry for overreacting, but it just felt so real."

"Oh, baby, it's okay, I'm here, I'm right here," Lily wrapped her arms around Harry again, and rubbed a soothing hand on his back.

Harry heard footsteps approach them, before hearing his father's voice. "Lils, is everything okay...Harry? What's going on?"

"Dad!" Harry exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him. "You're here!" Harry sobbed again.

"Harry had a nightmare...about us...and Voldemort," Lily explained.

James nodded in understanding, and hugged Harry back. Lily soon joined in on the hug, and Harry found comfort in the arms of his parents.

When they'd finally broken apart, James asked, "Harry, how did you get back here, anyway?"

 _Oops, how do I explain this?_ "I used the One-Eyed Witch secret passageway to get to Honeydukes, then summoned the Knight Bus from there to get home," Harry lied.

"Wow, first day of school, and you've already explored one secret passageway! I'm proud of you, son!" James commended.

Lily rolled her eyes, probably because of course, _James_ would be proud of an 11 year old for sneaking out of school at night.

Not wanting to wake up Alaina, Lily suggested that Harry and James quietly leave the house to Apparate back to Hogsmeade, while she stayed behind with Alaina.

"Bye, Mum," Harry whispered, hugging Lily tightly again. "I'm sorry for disrupting you at night."

"It's okay, Harry. Just...next time this happens, please, promise me you will not sneak out at night again. Something could've happened to you, honey," Lily requested.

"Yes, I promise, Mum," Harry replied fervently. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, Harry," Lily responded, kissing him on the cheek. "Don't get into too much trouble, honey."

"Now, as for that, I make no promises. Trouble tends to find me wherever I go. Not that I don't go looking for it a fair deal of times, as well," Harry said honestly.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "You are just like your father," she said fondly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry side-along Apparated back to Honeydukes with James once they were outside, and James walked with Harry all the way to the other end of the One-Eyed Witch secret passageway.

"Oh, this passageway brings back so many memories…" James trailed off, smiling.

"Yeah, I bet," Harry said, thinking about all the things the Marauders had probably done.

"Well, I should probably get going. Make sure you use your cloak," James reminded him. "The last thing you need is Filch or Sniv...Snape catching you out of bed after hours."

Harry hugged his father again, regretful to see him go, even if it was just temporary. After all, winter break wasn't too far away. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Prongslet. Now, get going. Try and get some sleep before your classes in the morning."

Harry watched his father leave, and stayed behind the One-Eyed Witch until he couldn't see James anymore. Then he walked back to the Gryffindor common room, feeling a lot calmer than he had been earlier.

_I'm okay. My family and friends are all alive, and I have the power to keep them that way._


	10. Classes, Potions, and Detention

True to his word, the next morning, Harry passed out order forms for his Boy-Who-Lived merchandise. "Come and get your order forms!" Harry announced, using magic to levitate the forms, making them easier to grab.

"Hello, Harry," a soft voice spoke up from behind him.

"Professor Dumbledore! Would you like an order form? I'd be happy to get you the Hogwarts professors' discount!" Harry replied cheerfully. Harry noted that even though he had not even interacted with the headmaster yet in this timeline (other than maybe a word or two when he was a 'baby'), he still got called by his first name. If that wasn't evidence of blatant favoritism, Harry didn't know what was.

"No, thank you, Harry. Though, it is very thoughtful of you to ask," Dumbledore answered, his eyes twinkling.

Harry snorted. Pretty much anything he did, even if it was something as selfish as trying to trick children into buying overpriced goods to help fund an already rich kid, was a good thing in Dumbledore's eyes. Merlin knew that somehow, no matter what happened this year, Gryffindor would win the House Cup. In the eyes of Dumbledore, Harry could do no wrong, which would undoubtedly guarantee overt bias towards Gryffindor. It was just inevitable.

Dumbledore just stood there, looking at Harry, as if trying to figure him out. He'd probably already realized that for some reason or another, Legilimency didn't work on Harry, after failing to succeed at raping his mind yesterday. "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" Harry finally broke the awkward silence.

"Oh no, my boy. I just saw you here, and thought I might introduce myself. I do try to get to know all of my students," Dumbledore said.

 _Yeah, right. Then why haven't you greeted any of the other hundreds of students in the hall right now?_ Harry snorted again. "Well, if you don't have any business to take care of with me, I still have a ton of order forms to get out. Business is important, I'm sure you understand. Also, my friends have just arrived, and I would like to spend some time with them before classes begin." In actuality, while Harry had pretty much mastered Occlumency, he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up for, especially if Dumbledore aggressively ambushed his mind when he wasn't expecting it, so he'd rather not give the old man a chance to do so.

"Of course, Harry," Dumbledore nodded as he began backing away, still looking speculative. The man was harder to read than anyone Harry had ever met.

Harry noticed that Ron and Neville were walking in together, and Draco stood a few yards behind them, while Hermione had just sat down at the Gryffindor table by herself, nose deep in a book. Harry took a seat next to Hermione, before yelling, "Neville, Ron, Draco! Over here!"

The teachers that were currently in the Great Hall all looked up from their meals to see who had caused such a ruckus. Upon discovering it was Harry, McGonagall seemed to be smiling slightly while trying to look stern, Snape was scowling, and Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again, no doubt happy that Harry was encouraging inter-House friendships.

"Harry! You do realize that I'm a Slytherin, right?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "I'm fairly certain that I'm not supposed to sit here with you...foolhardy Gryffindors."

"According to _Hogwarts: a History_ , there's no rule against it," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, before burying her face right back into her book.

"Yes, why don't we listen to the Mud-," Harry glared at Draco, "the Muggleborn who has to learn the school rules from a book."

"Why is _he_ here?" Ron interjected. "He's a slimy snake. Why do you even want to be friends with a Slytherin?" Ron complained.

Neville was the only one who stayed silent. The boy nervously sat down, looking very much like he wanted the arguing to stop. Thank goodness Neville wasn't a biased idiot at 11.

"To answer your question, Draco, yes, I know you're not a Gryffindor. However, Hermione is correct when saying there is no school rule against sitting at another House's table. Also, I'm by no means forcing you to be here, so if you'd rather sit between 'Stupid' and 'Stupider' (Crabbe and Goyle), you're free to do so. However, I was under the impression that you wanted to make powerful friends. If that's still one of your ambitions, it's in your best interest to sit here. And Ron, Draco is here because he is my friend, same as you. Now, I'd like to reiterate my rule that neither of you is allowed to throw around prejudiced insults around me, or else we can't be friends. Now, are you two staying, or are you blokes going?" Harry knew he was being bossy, but it seemed that when he carried himself this way, no one dared disagree with him. Hopefully, if he could get the five of them to actually become friends and enjoy each others' company, he wouldn't have to intervene as often.

The two in question inclined their heads sheepishly, and sat down. No one really spoke for the rest of the time while they ate breakfast, but at least there weren't any more arguments that needed to be put out. Harry just grinned to himself, after all, it was an improvement. _Baby steps for the win._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Classes went on the same as they had in the previous timeline, though this time around, it seemed as though all of the professors thought Harry was some kind of a genius. This was probably due to the fact that he performed each spell before the Professors were even done demonstrating them, and many a time, did them both wordlessly _and_ wandlessly. He'd even overheard some professors gossiping about how he was doing even better than Dumbledore had in his first year.

When Quirrell's class finally came around, Harry found himself wincing in pain. He'd forgotten how much Voldemort made his scar hurt. And that wasn't the only reason Harry found the class irritating, of course. Quirrell's fake stutter was so hard to listen to, and eventually, Harry couldn't take it anymore. Harry grabbed his stuff, and began strutting towards the door (yes, he really _did_ strut this time around).

"Mr P-P-P-Potter? W-W-W-where d-d-d-do you t-t-t-think you are g-g-g-going?" Quirrell asked.

"I'm leaving," Harry replied candidly. "You are a terrible teacher, and I don't feel like being taught by someone who has Voldemort on the back of their head."

"H-Huh?" Quirrell inquired nervously.

Some people gasped in shock, clearly not used to hearing the name 'Voldemort' spoken out loud, while others giggled, probably thinking Harry was joking.

"I'm leaving. And don't bother giving me detention, I won't go. Besides, if you do try and punish me in any way, I will tell Dumbledore about your little friend," Harry answered, slamming the door behind him. Of course, Harry was certain that Dumbledore already knew about Quirrell's little secret, and wagered telling him wouldn't do much. Oh well. He needed to use whatever leverage he had.

Quirrell didn't end up giving Harry detention, as he was probably scared shitless of being outed as the guy being possessed by Voldemort. And it wasn't like Harry was concerned about his _grades_. He couldn't imagine that Dumbledore would let The-Boy-Who-Lived fail a class. As if.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Harry! You can't just skip Defense Against the Dark Arts! Your education is important!" Hermione scolded him one morning at breakfast. Ron, Neville, and Draco had yet to wake up, so Harry had the pleasure of listening to her lecture all by himself.

"Hermione, you can't possibly think that we're actually learning anything from that bumbling fool. The class is a complete boondoggle. And even if he was a good teacher, there's nothing he could teach me that I don't already know, hell, there's nothing he can teach you that you don't already know. You should skip class with me. I could teach you some useful things," Harry offered.

His nerdy friend looked scandalized at the suggestion. "Skip class? You want me to skip class? You do realize that our entire futures depend on our education, you can't possibly be suggesting that missing out on learning our fundamentals is a good idea..." Hermione rambled on as Harry tuned her out.

At that moment, Hedwig and another owl came flying in, carrying one letter each. The distraction seemed to hush Hermione up, at least for the moment. One of the envelopes was addressed to him in neat calligraphy, which Harry recognized as his mother's handwriting. He'd written to her nudiustertian morning, reassuring her that he was adjusting fine, and that he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, after realizing that he'd failed to mention it the night he snuck back home. The other letter didn't have anything written on the outside, though there was a brown food stain of some sort on it. Harry opened the more mysterious one first, though he'd already guessed the person who'd written it.

**_Dear Harry,_ **

**_I hope this isn't weird, I know we don't know each other well. But after we talked a bit the other night, I was wondering if you'd like to chat some more? I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week._ **

**_From,_ **

**_Hagrid_ **

Harry giddily opened the second letter next, excited to hear from his mother.

**_Harry,_ **

**_I'm delighted to hear you're doing well. Your father and Sirius would like me to congratulate you on making it into, in their words, "the only good House". James would also like me to add that he's ecstatic you aren't in the "slimy snake House", though I'd like to remind you that there's no "best House". You should be kind to everyone, no matter their House, and I know you will be. Your father and Sirius can be awfully immature, as I'm sure you already know. I do not really want to add their additions to this letter, however, I know that if I don't say what they want me to, they'll just send you a separate letter._ **

**_Remus is happy for you, as well. He'd like you to write to him if you have any questions on your course work, especially in Defense Against the Dark Arts. As you know, that is his specialty._ **

**_I'm glad to hear you've made friends. What are their names? What are they like? I'd love to hear all about them in your next letter._ **

**_Alaina's been holding onto your last letter since we received it. She misses you dearly, and wants me to tell you she loves you._ **

**_Anyway, honey, keep being wonderful, and try hard in all of your classes._ **

**_Love,_ **

**_Mum_ **

As soon as Harry finished writing a quick response to Hagrid (he decided that he'd use the two-way mirror to call his family sometime later), he heard the loud voices of Draco and Ron arguing. He looked up to see the blond and redhead going at it, while poor Neville walked quietly behind them, clearly not sure what to do.

"You're a bloody foul git, Malfoy! You and your father both! Dad has nothing but heinous things to say about him!" Ron shouted.

"What did I do? I've been following Harry's deal, and haven't been insulting you, or your poor excuse of a family. Here I was, minding my own business, when suddenly, you ambush me in the hall, screaming at me about my father!" Draco argued back.

"Yes, because your bloody scum of a father is trying to ruin my dad's life!" Ron sputtered out, ears red as a fire truck.

Hermione looked up then, with a confused look on her face. "Why do they hate each other so much?"

"Their fathers have very different...political views. They're pretty much arch rivals at the Ministry of Magic. I believe the reason for what has set off the current argument, is regarding Arthur Weasley's recent Muggle Protection Act proposal, which Lucius Malfoy is a vociferous opponent of. Arthur's working tirelessly to get it passed, while Lucius is doing the exact opposite. My dreams tell me that the law will eventually get passed, but not until 1992," Harry explained.

"But...those are just their fathers' views. Why did they automatically abhor one another before actually getting to know each other?" Hermione asked again. "I mean, neither of them has been particularly unpleasant thus far, the least they can do is give each other a chance," Hermione pointed out.

"The wizarding world is very divided, not unlike some in the Muggle world. People have a very black and white view of 'good wizards' versus 'bad wizards' on both sides, even though it isn't that simple. People like Ron believe that all Slytherins are bad, just because Voldemort was once in that House. Yet, they fail to realize that Gryffindors, like Peter Pettigrew, have also joined the 'dark side'. Draco, on the other hand, is bigoted towards Muggles and Muggleborns, not that it's completely his fault, he's just following what his parents have said. As an 11 year old, he doesn't really know what any of it means. I'm hoping to show the two of them that people from different backgrounds can be friends," Harry clarified.

"Well, I believe that prejudice in any form is deplorable," Hermione huffed. "They should really get over themselves."

Harry bobbed his head in agreement. "That's the plan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After breakfast came double Potions with the Slytherins. This time around, Harry sat beside Neville, while Draco sat by Hermione, and Ron sat next to Seamus (this pairing would prove to be a safety hazard). Following Snape's speech about the "subtle art of potion-making" (Harry really didn't pay any attention to it), Harry's moment to show Snape that he wasn't a "dunderhead", came.

"Ah, yes," Snape said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity." Snape's eyes bore into him, and he looked downright murderous.

"Are you a big fan, Professor? I'm sorry, I didn't realize, or else I would've offered you an order form for my merchandise the other morning at Breakfast. Would you like a signed picture? They're usually three Galleons each, but I'm sure I can work out a discount for my dear Potions professor. Again, I didn't realize you were such a fan, or I would've given you one ages ago. Mum never did tell me how much of a fan-boy you were," Harry answered cheerfully as he ruffled his hair, just like he'd seen his father do so many times.

If Harry thought Snape looked murderous before, at the moment, he seemed like he wanted not to just kill Harry, but had a strong desire to be the cause of his slow, painful death.

"Potter!" Snape snapped. "List at least three ingredients used to make a Polyjuice Potion!"

Well, that was different...Harry didn't remember exactly what Snape had asked him the first time around, but he was certain that it wasn't about Polyjuice. Well, seeing as he'd watched Hermione brew it second year, Snape couldn't have picked an easier question.

"Fluxweed, Knotgrass, Lacewing flies, leeches, the horn of a Bicorn, Boomslang skin, and a piece of the person you're turning into, usually hair," Harry listed off quickly. "I believe that is the entire list of ingredients. Is that sufficient enough for you, Professor? Or would you like me to recite the instructions on how to make it?"

Snape heaved indignantly, and grumbled something incoherent under his breath. Snape then gathered himself, and angrily spouted out, "What is the function of the Felix Felicis potion?"

Again, Snape couldn't have picked a better question for Harry, as he'd actually had the pleasure of using the potion to extract information from Slughorn. As to why Snape was asking questions that only sixth years and above (and Hermione), knew the answer to? The only reasonable answer was that he wanted to humiliate Harry. The man may be brave as hell, but he was also more petty than a teenage girl.

"Felix Felicis, also known as Liquid Luck, is a potion that makes the drinker lucky for a short period of time, which allows them success in basically everything that they attempt to do," Harry stated.

"And why is it not recommended to take it on a daily basis?" Snape pressed, looking more frustrated with each question Harry correctly answered.

"It is only meant to be used in moderation, because in excess, it can cause recklessness, overconfidence, and giddiness," Harry replied smoothly.

"Where would I look if I wanted to find a Bezoar?" Snape continued, clearly desperate to stump Harry.

"I carry one in my pocket at all times, you never know when you may need it to save a poisoned friend's life, after all. Would you like it?" Harry offered, pulling the Bezoar out of his robe.

"Potter! That wasn't the question! Where would I find a Bezoar?" Snape raved, the veins on his face bulging.

"Wow, touchy, touchy. I thought you needed one for one reason or another, and was trying to be nice. Like I said, you can find a Bezoar in my pocket at all times, as well as from the stomach of a goat," Harry responded.

Snape let out a slight grunt, before snapping at the rest of the class. "Why aren't you all writing this down?"

Harry knew that aggravating the man further probably wasn't the best idea, but hey, Snape was the one who started it. "So...Professor, about that signed picture. Would you still like one?"

Ignoring the question, Snape just sneered his way, looking like he was trying very hard not to pounce on him. "Perhaps you have shown some level of proficiency in potions, courtesy of your mother. Unfortunately, personality-wise, you are exactly like your father," Snape hissed, scowling.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied cheekily.

"Detention! Mr Potter," Snape yelped.

"I didn't realize it was against the rules to accept a compliment, Professor, but I look forward to getting to know you over detention," Harry said blithely.

Snape seemed to have given up on getting the better of Harry, and turned to the rest of the class, telling everyone to pair up, and work on a simple potion to cure boils. This time, Neville didn't get yelled at, as Harry made sure to take the wheel, gently instructing Neville on the correct way to brew the potion.

Draco looked a bit apprehensive about partnering with Hermione, but quickly learned that she was quite talented, so he quietly worked with her, appearing to be impressed by her skill. It looked like there was progress being made on that front.

Ron and Seamus somehow managed to cause an explosion, even after they'd only added the first two ingredients together. At least, in the future, Seamus had become an expert in explosive magic, so he would eventually learn to be productive with his destructiveness.

Harry thanked Snape at the end of the class as he was handed his first detention slip of the year. He offered to say 'hi' to his mum for Snape, and got an angry grunt in response.

It seemed as though being Lily Potter's son while she was still alive, well, and on friendly terms with Snape, didn't spare him from Snape's bitterness towards the Marauders, and by extension, Harry himself. Well, Harry guessed he couldn't blame it entirely on the Marauders, considering the fact that he aggravated Snape every chance he got.

If anything, his relationship with Snape was even worse than it had been in the last timeline, though Harry supposed that was his doing. After all, he'd been the one to set the tone of their relationship when he had first called him "Snivellus", back when he was "five". Plus, as the spawn of James Potter, Snape was never really going to like him. At best, if Harry had really made a valiant effort, he may have tolerated Harry. Oh well. While Lily may be upset at him for provoking Snape, James would be proud of him for not only getting detention during the first week of classes, but for receiving one for getting on Snape's nerves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco! I'm heading over to Hagrid's for tea. You all are coming with me," Harry informed them as they left the Potions classroom.

"Why would I want to go have tea with the school servant?" Draco asked, curling his lip.

"Because I'm your good, famous, rich, influential friend, and I've asked you to do it?" Harry countered.

"I'll go," Ron agreed. "As long as I don't have to sit next to...him," Ron sneered at Draco.

"I want to come!" Neville piped up. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Let's go!" Harry declared, making sure to forcibly drag Draco by the arm, so the blond boy had no choice but to come along.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With six people and one dog in Hagrid's hut, it was rather cramped. Draco couldn't seem to keep the disgust off of his face, and nearly had a fit when Fang jumped on him and licked his face.

"By the way, Hagrid. These are my best friends, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Neville Longbottom," Harry introduced.

"A Malfoy, eh?" Hagrid questioned dubiously, honing in on Draco. "A bit surprising teh me that yeh'd make a Slytherin friend, Harry."

"Well, Mum has always gone on about House unity, as you probably know, she and Snape are best friends. Of course, Snape hates me, but I'd expect nothing less," Harry replied.

"Rubbish! Why should he?" Hagrid answered, looking shifty as fuck, undoubtedly thinking about the Marauders' long standing feud with the Potions Master.

"I suppose you're right, he doesn't necessarily _hate me_ , per say. He's just spiteful because he wanted to shag my mother, but my dad beat him to it. He also accidentally nearly sent them to their deaths, so he feels like he has a debt to repay, which means he believes he has to protect me. Unfortunately, he's not great at letting go of old grudges, so that sometimes comes out as hatred," Harry said matter-of-factly.

Hagrid looked shocked, so clearly, he didn't think that Harry knew all about Snape and the Marauders' animosity towards each other, and had probably learned some new information from Harry, as well.

Harry then pretended to notice the newspaper on Hagrid's table, and exclaimed, "Hagrid, the Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! I was there that day, do you know anything more about it? Were you there that day?" Harry asked.

Now, Harry wasn't sure if it was responsible to let a few 11 year olds go on a potentially dangerous adventure, looking for the Philosopher's Stone, but it sure had been a great bonding experience last time. Besides, Harry was the only one who had been seriously injured last time, and if he was careful this time, Ron wouldn't have to sacrifice himself on the chess set. Also, the timeline had to play out somewhat similarly, or else Harry's foreknowledge would be useless. Though, he guessed he'd already changed a ton of stuff, so the future wasn't guaranteed to happen anything like it had last time. All in all, the stone adventure had been relatively harmless in terms of end-of-the-year-dangerous-adventures, so he figured it couldn't hurt to get his friends involved.

"Why would I know anything 'bout it?" Hagrid said, not meeting his eyes. "I was jus' there, picking up a package 'or Dumbledore. Not the package they want'd to steal, o'course, a differn' one."

"What was the package for Dumbledore?" Draco asked this time, looking intrigued.

"Now, you jus' forget about the package that was almost stolen, an' what it's doin' at school, that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-"

"Aha!" Ron exclaimed. "So...whatever they were trying to steal from Gringotts is now at Hogwarts, and there's someone named Nicholas Flamel involved!"

Harry nearly banged his head on the table. Ron needed to learn the art of subtlety...not that Harry had possessed any degree of subtlety at age 11 either.

"Perhaps it is being guarded on the third floor! That's why Dumbledore doesn't want anyone going there!" Hermione chimed in.

Hagrid turned red as a tomato, obviously furious with himself. "Rock cakes?" he offered, changing the subject.

Neville was the only one who took him up on the offer, while the rest of them badgered him with more questions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Harry sneaked out of bed with the cloak, and went into the Room of Requirement. "Accio diadem!" Harry tried. Nothing. "Well, it was worth a shot," Harry muttered to himself.

After searching for a good two hours, he finally succeeded in finding the diadem. He planned to use Fiendfyre to destroy it once he made it into the Forbidden Forest, but figured he should probably let Sirius know that he'd found it.

"Sirius Black!" Harry called into the two-way mirror.

"Prongslet!" Instead of Sirius, the voice of his father came out of the mirror.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry wondered.

His dad turned the mirror, and showed Harry a passed out Sirius Black. "He had one too many shots of Firewhiskey," James explained. "By the way, where are you? I don't recognize that room."

"This is the Room of Requirement," Harry answered. "It only shows up when you 'require' something. It is located on the seventh floor," informed Harry, flipping his mirror so his father could get a better look.

"Damn, Prongslet! You're making me so proud! First, you sneak out of school on the first night, then you discover a room the Marauders failed to in their seven years, within your first week of classes? Incredible," James said gleefully.

"I've also already gotten detention from Snape!" Harry bragged. "I guess I am a bit too much like you for his taste."

"That's my boy!" James exclaimed triumphantly.

"James! Who are you talking to? Has Sirius finally rejoined the land of the living? You woke both me and Alaina up!" Lily complained.

"Don't tell Mum I'm talking to you!" Harry begged. "I'll be in so much trouble if she finds out I've been sneaking...oh, hi, Mum," Harry said sheepishly, noticing his mother's face staring directly at him.

"Harry! It is two in the morning! What are you doing awake? Are you wandering around the castle?" Lily scolded. Lily's gaze then softened, "are you okay, honey? Did you have another nightmare?"

"Umm...no, Mum," Harry replied, not wanting to lie to his mother. "I was just...exploring. I was looking for something...interesting."

Lily's frown was back. "Harry James Potter! You can't be gallivanting around the castle at night. You need to get some sleep, for one, also, it's against the rules for a reason-"

"Harry!" Alaina called excitedly, saving him from Lily's tirade. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Lainie," Harry said sincerely.

Harry ended up talking to his sister for around half an hour, spending the whole time answering her never-ending questions about Hogwarts. Finally, Lily declared that Alaina needed to go back to sleep, and brought his sister upstairs. Unfortunately for him, she demanded that he stay on the other end of the mirror so she could finish talking with him.

After Lily lectured him some more about following the rules, Harry was finally able to tell his mother about his week (leaving out the detention with Snape).

"Neville's in Gryffindor too! He's having a tough time with some of the classes, but he's great at Herbology! I think he could take over for Professor Sprout in the future. I try and help him when I can, though."

Lily smiled. "I'm glad that you and Neville are still getting along well. Who are your other friends?"

"Well let's see...you met Ron already. He's incredible too, though a little immature at times. I'm used to that though, having grown up with Sirius and Dad," Harry chuckled.

"Hey!" James protested. "I've grown up a lot since I was in school. Sirius is the one who still acts like he's 12!"

"Sure, Dad," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, then there's Hermione. She and Ron argue a lot, you see, she's super studious and dedicated, which gets on Ron's nerves sometimes. Of course, those two don't argue as much as Ron and Draco. I think she's a bit over enthusiastic sometimes, which makes sense, because she didn't even know about magic until she got her letter. No that being enthusiastic is a bad thing, I think it just overwhelms some people. She reminds me a lot of you, Mum. You're going to love her once you meet her."

"I'm glad you've made a studious friend, Harry. Perhaps she can help you become better behaved," Lily suggested.

Harry and James pretended to gag in protest, with James saying, "better behaved? Why would anyone want that?"

Lily rolled her eyes at her boys' antics. "Most parents wouldn't see being well behaved as an issue, James. Anyway, Harry, who are your other friends?"

"Last but not least, I have one more best friend. I met him that day in Diagon Alley when we were getting our robes. His name is Draco Malfoy," Harry said, waiting for James' outburst.

"You're friends with a Malfoy?!" James asked incredulously. "I thought I taught you better than that!"

"I could say the same thing about you befriending a Black," Harry pointed out.

"Well...well, Sirius is different! He was in Gryffindor! I bet Malfoy's a Slytherin," James said defensively.

"My best friend was a Slytherin," Lily interjected.

"My point exactly," James said. "Sniv...Snape isn't exactly a stand-up guy-"

Lily glared at James, and Harry's dad immediately stopped talking. "I'm proud of you, honey. It's great that you aren't prejudiced against other Houses," Lily commended.

Harry then chimed back in. "Yes, Dad. Draco is a Slytherin. But it's not a bad thing to have friends and allies in different Houses. And you shouldn't judge him until you meet him. He is Sirius's cousin, after all. Give him a chance," Harry insisted.

"Fine," James relented. "I suppose I trust you to not pick horrible friends…"

"I'm sure he's wonderful, honey," Lily added. "Harry, try to get some sleep tonight, alright? I love you, honey. I'll talk to you soon."

"Love you, Prongslet! Make sure you keep me updated on any pranks you plan on pulling-"

"James!" Lily admonished.

"What, Lils! You can't expect a Potter to _not_ pull any pranks, it's just not in our nature to be rule followers!"

"The least you could do is not encourage the behavior!" Lily retorted.

Harry laughed, finding comfort in his parents' bickering. "I love you both," Harry said, before putting the mirror away, and making his way to the Forbidden Forest.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Harry did a spell to clear the immediate area of living creatures, and cast the Fiendfyre spell. Following Sirius's rather unruly attempt at the spell, Harry had taken matters into his own hands, and had practiced rather meticulously throughout the last few years. He'd often sneaked out at night from Godric's Hollow, and gone to unpopulated areas, just to burn them up.

Following throwing the diadem into the fire, Harry slowly tried to reign in the flames. He finally managed to put out the fire completely, and just when he was about to throw his cloak on and leave, he heard a man screaming.

Harry looked up, and noticed that somehow, while he'd been casting a controlled Fiendfyre, Quirrell had gotten close to the area, and had nearly been burned alive. Shit, what if Quirrelldemort had noticed something?

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Quirrell screamed, running toward the castle. "My robe is on fire, my robe is on fire!"

Nah, it looked like Quirrell was a bit too preoccupied to pay attention to what was going on. Also, since the amount of fire on his robe had been so minuscule, why hadn't he just used a Water-Conjuring Spell? Or—he could've rolled around on the ground. Clearly, Voldemort didn't prioritize brain power when looking for people to possess.


	11. Three-headed Dog

Severus Snape furiously stomped into the staffroom, dramatically slamming the door behind him.

"Hello, Severus," Minerva greeted. "What seems to be the reason behind your...extraordinarily wonderful mood today?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The Potter spawn is insufferable! A carbon copy of his father, he is. It seems as though growing up with Black and Lupin, as well, has made him absolutely unbearable to be around," Severus huffed.

"Yes, yes. He does seem to take after James Potter," Minerva said fondly. "Mr Potter is very adept at Transfiguration. He managed to Transfigure his match stick into a needle both wandlessly and wordlessly. I'd dare say he's even more talented than his father."

"He is also very gifted in Charms," Filius piped up. "I did not believe the speed at which he completed his first spell, I would've thought he'd done it 1000 times before!"

"That isn't what I meant!" Severus glowered at the two teachers. "He's arrogant, foolish, and...do you know what he had the nerve to ask me?"

"Please, tell us," Pomona said curiously. "He did ask a lot of questions in my class, very advanced questions about Herbology! Beyond NEWT level. From your tone of voice though, I'm assuming it was a question not relating to course work?"

"He asked me if I wanted a signed photograph of him...and even went on to offer me a professors' discount!" Snape bellowed, outraged.

Minerva couldn't seem to keep a smile off her face, clearly not sharing Severus's indignation. "Yes, I did notice that he seems a bit...eccentric when dealing with fame. However, despite the public persona he puts on, he appears to be a very kind boy, kinder than James Potter was at that age, anyhow. When the Longbottom boy was struggling in class, he immediately dropped his things to help him. Not to mention, he's even befriended the Malfoy boy, despite being sorted into rival Houses. I couldn't imagine James Potter doing something like that. He's a lot like his mother in many ways, as well," Minerva mentioned.

"Oh, any ounce of Lily in him seems to be overpowered by the Potter disease. As for Malfoy? Trust me when I say, there is no way the Malfoy boy actually likes Potter. He's simply using him for his fame. No Slytherin in their right mind would actually befriend a Gryffindor," Severus scoffed.

"Are you saying we can't be friends, Severus?" Minerva raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that underneath all the rivalry, we tolerated each other to a point where we could be considered, 'friends'. And...what of your friendship with the boy's mother, Lily was a Gryffindor, was she not?"

Severus just grunted in response, not really having a retort to Minverva. He was just upset about being the lone wolf that disliked Potter. Not that it was unexpected, anyway. Just incredibly annoying. Everyone seemed to worship the boy. Potter had everyone fooled, thinking he was such a sweet, innocent saint, but Severus knew the truth.

"Did I mention that he already managed to secure detention with me tonight?" Severus added after a few moments. "Seems as though he's also a troublemaker, just like his father."

"Yes, well, I do expect him to be a handful, he seems to be the leader of his little posse, just like his father and Sirius Black were," Minerva responded, still smiling.

Severus scoffed again, and turned away for a moment, having had enough of the Potter-worshiping.

"I'm excited to see how he fares on a broomstick," Rolanda Hooch chimed in.

Looking up from his pumpkin juice, Severus grumbled, "who cares?" Seeing as no one replied to his comment, they'd either not heard him, or were just straight up ignoring him.

"With how similar he is to his father, he's bound to be a great flier," Minerva replied happily. "I hope he's a good Seeker! The Gryffindor team could use one. Perhaps we could win the Quidditch Cup," Minerva said dreamily.

Severus sneered, still despising all the positive talk about _Potter._ Seriously, how did no one else have a negative experience with the boy? He was dreadful to be around. "First years aren't allowed brooms, Minerva. Even if Saint Potter were to be a good flier, he'd have to wait until next year," Severus reminded his former Transfiguration teacher.

"Yes, of course," Minerva responded, looking thoughtful. "We shall see, however..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry made his way to the dungeons for his detention with Snape, opening the door and running in, only with one minute to spare. He'd gotten caught up planning a prank with the twins, and had nearly forgotten about his detention.

"You're late, Potter," Snape snapped.

"Actually, Professor, you told me to be here by seven, so I'm a whole minute early," Harry corrected.

Clearly, Snape hadn't wanted a response from Harry, if his death glare was anything to go by. "Get to work, Potter!"

"Ummm...Professor? I would 'get to work', but you haven't actually told me what you need me to do," Harry pointed out reasonably.

"Filch has a pile of detention records he needs reorganized and filed away. I believe you'll find your saintly father and his friends have their names involved in a large number of misdemeanors. For any slips that have been damaged, or the ink has faded, making it hard to read, I want you to copy down the crimes and punishments afresh. You then need to place them all in alphabetical order, before returning them into the correct boxes," Snape said tersely. "Well, don't just sit there staring at me, get on it!"

 _Interesting…_ Harry hadn't gotten this punishment until his sixth year back in the previous timeline, after he had nearly killed Draco Malfoy. Though he'd been annoyed with the punishment the previous time, he could now see that comparatively, organizing detention slips was a lot better than say, polishing trophies. Also, since his father and Sirius weren't dead this time around, some of their wrongdoings could potentially be amusing to him (as long as they didn't involve bullying), rather than fill him with guilt (as he'd felt responsible for their deaths before).

Harry got to work right away, reading through the petty misdemeanors of the Marauders, and occasionally having a giggle.

There was a slip about how the Marauders had turned the great hall into a giant chocolate fountain, but had dosed the chocolate with laxative potions, leaving a bunch of brown stains for poor Filch to clean up. Of course, they'd gotten two weeks of detention in the Forbidden Forest, but seeing as the four of them frequently explored the area at night, it wasn't exactly much of a punishment. Harry couldn't help himself. He laughed uncontrollably, nearly falling out of his chair in the process. Perhaps being in his 11 year old body made him act like a prepubescent boy in some ways, resulting in him finding poop jokes especially funny.

"Is something amusing to you, Potter?" Snape hissed. "Seems about right that a hooligan, like yourself, would find criminal acts comical."

"Not at all, Professor," Harry coughed, trying to conceal another chuckle. "I've been feeling a bit under the weather...had a bad coughing fit, you see."

"Hmmmph," Snape grunted. "A bit under the weather, you say?" he added, clearly not believing Harry.

"It's another way of saying, 'I'm feeling a bit sick'," Harry replied.

"I know what it means, Potter!" Snape snarled.

Deciding that maybe he ought to at least try to make their relationship a bit more amicable, Harry changed the subject. "Mum says you were the one who told her she was a witch. She also said that you were her best friend growing up. What was she like back then?"

Snape's eyes softened for a moment, and as he talked about Lily, he almost...smiled. "Lily was kind, and had a great deal of empathy for others, especially for those who were considered 'underdogs'." Just as quickly as the slight smile appeared on his face, his signature sneer returned. "Regrettably, you seem to take after your arrogant father and his friends, rather than your mother…such a shame…"

Harry automatically rolled his eyes in response. Even in the previous timeline, when he hadn't gone out of his way to act like James in front of Snape, Snape still stubbornly believed that Harry was just like his father. Harry believed he was a lot like his mother in some aspects now, and had definitely taken more after his mother in the first timeline. Alas, Snape had been too stubborn to let himself see their similarities back then.

"Now, get back to work!" Snape barked.

"Yes," Harry answered tersely.

"Yes, _sir_ ," Snape snapped.

Remembering a line he'd used during his sixth year in the other timeline, the words left Harry's mouth before he could stop them. "There's no need to call me sir, Professor," Harry said sarcastically.

"You'll be serving detention with me every night for all of next week, Potter. I don't tolerate any cheek, though I'm sure your _perfect_ father never taught you any manners," Snape flared.

Concluding that he probably shouldn't push the man any further over the edge, Harry quietly finished the files Snape had assigned him to organize for the night, and after receiving his detention slip for the next week, he walked towards the door without another word.

As he was about to open the door, Snape spoke up again. "By the end of next week, I expect that all the files are finished."

Harry turned back around and nodded.

"Why are you still here?! Get out!"

Yikes. Evidently, Harry still had a talent for putting Snape in a foul mood.

XXXXXXXXX

The next week, Harry served detention with Snape every night, tediously organizing all of the Marauders' detention slips. Somehow, it seemed as though Snape had exclusively given him the years the Marauders had been in school to organize, while the rest of the files had been done by Fred and George Weasley, who'd been serving detention at a separate time. Apparently, they'd magically glued Snape's potions cupboards shut over the weekend, and the spell they'd use was irreversible until it wore out (three days later). Of course, this prank was separate from the one Harry had been planning with the twins for about a week now. The scheme they were putting together against Quirrell was to be executed Friday morning.

When Thursday afternoon came around, it was time for their first Quidditch lesson. Harry made sure he was by Neville's side, while Draco was on Harry's other side, and Ron and Hermione stood next to each other on Neville's other side. Harry had already done his best to try and calm Neville down in hopes that he wouldn't lose control of his broom, but it seemed that Neville was still more nervous than ever.

"These school brooms are ghastly!" Draco moaned. "I wish I could bring my Nimbus 2000 down from my dorm room."

"Quit whining, Draco. Remember what I said before? We'll both be Seekers soon enough," Harry replied.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"What's the point of that?" Harry wondered. "You do realize that we can just pick the brooms up and fly them. It isn't like saying the word 'up' makes flying any easier. When we fly on Quidditch teams, we aren't going to all lay our brooms down and say 'up' before we fly out to the pitch. Overall, this seems like a colossal waste of time," Harry pointed out.

"It's tradition, Mr Potter. Every flying lesson starts with this exercise," Madam Hooch replied, clearly not having a better answer.

"Eh, whatever. It seems like wizards have a bunch of pointless traditions. Not that Muggles don't, of course." Harry shrugged.

"Up!" Harry and the rest of the class yelled.

Harry grinned as his broom was one of the first ones to come flying right into his hand. He and Draco had a laugh at Ron's expense when the redheaded boy's broom smacked him in the face on its way up. Fortunately for Ron, he was also able to laugh right back at Draco when Madam Hooch corrected his mounting technique.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"

Unfortunately, it seemed that Neville's nerves had gotten the better of him again, as he slowly began rising in the air, losing control of his broom. This time, it appeared as though Neville was rising higher and faster than he had before. The poor kid was around 50 feet in the air already!

"Boy! Get back down here, right now!" Madam Hooch yelled.

 _Yes, because screaming at a boy who's lost control of his broom will help him get down safely…_ After noticing that Neville's Remembrall had fallen on the ground while Neville had been thrown in the air, Harry picked it up. "If you want to make the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Seeker, do as I say," Harry whispered to Draco. "Now, get up in the air with me, and I'll tell you what to do next."

Draco gave him an odd look, before shrugging and taking off into the air with Harry.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where do you two think you're going?! Everyone, on the ground! Now!" Madam Hooch screeched.

Ignoring Madam Hooch, Harry raced towards Neville, with Draco following close behind. Harry and Draco stopped a few yards below where Neville was barely hanging onto his broom. The three of them appeared to be near the window of the Transfiguration classroom.

"Nev! I need you to let go! I'm going to catch you!" Harry yelled.

"W-What?" Neville looked even more terrified.

"Just let go!" Harry tried again.

Neville reluctantly let go of his broom, and as he began falling through the air, Harry grabbed his friend's hand, and tried to help Neville onto his broomstick. The two struggled for a bit, and Harry soon realized that he had overestimated his strength. When he'd impulsively made his plan, he'd forgotten that he was a scrawny 11 year old with absolutely no upper-body strength.

To Harry's surprise, Draco grabbed Neville's other hand, and helped Harry prop Neville on Harry's broom. Harry supposed that other than Harry himself, the only other person in their group that Draco didn't hate on principle (or personality wise) was Neville. While the boy was shy and awkward, he was also from a wizarding family, unlike Hermione, and didn't argue with Draco incessantly the way Ron did (or have a father with a longstanding feud with Lucius). Some would probably even classify Draco and Neville as almost...friends. So maybe it wasn't that strange that Draco was willing to help Neville. It was just that Harry was still getting used to seeing Draco as an ally, and not an evil prick.

"Draco, catch this!" Harry shouted, "accidentally" dropping the Remembrall before flying towards the ground with Neville. The landing was a bit rough, since racing brooms were rather difficult to balance with two people.

Not too long after, Draco landed beside them, Remembrall in hand. "Longb...Neville, here's your Remembrall."

Neville gratefully stuck the Remembrall back in his pocket. "T-Thanks, guys, I don't know-"

"You foolish boys!" Hooch exclaimed as she ran towards them, interrupting Neville. "You could've gotten yourselves killed-"

"HARRY POTTER AND DRACO MALFOY!" McGonagall cut in. She was heading their way, and looked absolutely furious. "I'll take care of this, Rolanda," McGonagall said, before walking closer to the two boys, glowering at them.

"As noble as your intentions were, boys, you could've broken your necks! You two should've waited for a teacher to handle it-"

"With all due respect, Professor, no one was doing anything to help Neville, and he would've broken his wrist, or worse, if Draco and I hadn't stepped in," Harry replied.

"Be that as it may, Potter," McGonagall acknowledged, "it was still a very reckless thing to do."

"So...you're saying I should've let my friend die or be seriously injured?" Harry retorted.

"No, of course not, Potter. All right, that's enough out of you. Potter, Malfoy, come with me," McGonagall said sternly.

"I thought you said we'd be Seekers!" Draco hissed in Harry's ear. "Now, it looks like we're about to be expelled! All because I followed an idiot Gryffindor to help save one of his stupid friends! Oh, when my father hears about this, he'll ground me until I'm 17!"

Harry noted that this was the first time he'd ever heard Draco use the phrase 'my father will hear about this' in a negative way. It seemed as though being friends with Draco allowed Harry to see a side of him that Harry had never seen before.

"Oh, don't fret, Draco! We are going to be Seekers, trust me. And even if she wasn't going to reward us for our awesome, heroic flying, we wouldn't get a worse punishment than detention. Dumbledore would never let the 'famous Boy-Who-Lived get expelled, especially for something as dumb as riding a broom," Harry reassured him.

"Maybe Dumbledore won't expel you, but he won't think twice about expelling me! Dumbledore is the one person that doesn't listen to my father!" Draco looked even paler than usual.

"First of all, in order for Dumbledore to expel you, your Head of House would have to file an official request for expulsion. Snape wouldn't do that because he likes you, and also because he's not stupid enough to expel someone over a broomstick. Secondly, if they expelled you, but didn't punish me, it would look like favoritism, so they wouldn't dare do that. Trust me, we're fine," Harry said.

Draco breathed out a sigh of relief.

McGonagall led them to the dungeons, where Snape was currently brewing some atrocious smelling potion. "Severus, I need to speak with you."

Using the Extendable Ears spell that George Weasley had invented after the war (based on the twins' earlier invention), Harry and Draco were able to listen in on the conversation taking place inside the Potions classroom.

McGonagall started out by explaining what she'd seen through the window of her classroom. When she first suggested that Harry and Draco be made members of their Quidditch House teams, Snape threw a fit (though he didn't seem all too opposed to the idea of Draco making the Slytherin team).

"Of course, bend the rules for Harry Potter. And teach him, what? That the rules don't apply to celebrities?" Snape snapped.

"You know as well as I do that the first year rule isn't a big deal. I'm sure Albus will make an exception-"

"Yes, perhaps he will. Because _perfect_ Harry Potter can do no wrong. But what of Draco Malfoy? You don't suppose that Albus will make an exception for a Malfoy, do you?" Snape argued.

"Well, he can hardly allow Potter to play while denying Malfoy, without it seeming like favoritism. Why do you think I brought Malfoy to your attention? I hardly want Slytherin to have an increased chance at winning the Quidditch Cup, however, I pride myself in being fair to all students. Besides, I'm sure Albus would make an exception for a friend of Harry Potter, nonetheless," McGonagall said. "Of course, you don't have to allow the Malfoy boy to play. I'm just merely informing you that if you'd like a decent Seeker, Malfoy's not a bad choice. He caught Longbottom's Remembrall in a 50 foot dive. I was quite impressed."

"Seeing as it was Malfoy that caught the Longbottom boy's lost...toy, what makes you think Potter will be a good Seeker?" Snape questioned.

"Potter is an incredible flier, I saw it with my own eyes. Besides, if he can catch a falling boy, I'm sure he can catch the Snitch. He's also got the perfect build for a Seeker," McGonagall answered.

After Snape muttered some insults about Harry, he finally agreed to let both boys on their teams.

Harry grinned, turning to an ecstatic Draco Malfoy. "See? This is just proof that you should never doubt me again," Harry said smugly.

Draco just smiled back giddily, clearly too excited to riposte with a snarky comment.

When McGonagall and Snape finally exited the classroom, Harry and McGonagall went to go find Wood, while Snape and Draco left to go fetch Flint.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry vaguely remembered that the Golden Trio and Neville had discovered the Cerebrus, Fluffy, the night after their first flying lesson. However, they'd ended up in the forbidden corridor because Draco had challenged Ron and him to a duel. Since Draco no longer had a vendetta against Harry, that obviously wasn't going to happen again.

While the group had been a bit curious about the hidden package while they'd been at Hagrid's, by now, they seemed to have forgotten about it. Harry figured that if he wanted to get his friends excited about the 'Philosopher's Stone mystery', he'd have to do some improvising.

When dinnertime came around, Harry figured it was the perfect time to put his plan in motion. "So...I was planning on using my Invisibility Cloak to sneak out tonight. Would any of you care to join me?" Harry invited.

"Sneak out? That's against the rules! You could be expelled!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I...I don't know, Harry. Gryffindor could get in trouble, we could lose points," Neville said hesitantly. "I don't think you should do it."

"You have an Invisibility Cloak? Wicked! Why didn't you tell us about it before? That's so cool, we could've sneaked around ages ago if you'd told me about it!" Ron practically shouted.

"Keep your voice down, Weaselbee," Draco hissed. "You Gryffindors really don't know how to be discreet." Draco turned to Harry, "how did you get an Invisibility Cloak? They're extremely rare!"

"Family heirloom," Harry answered. "So...are you all in, or are you out?"

"In!" Ron declared. "Does _he_ have to come?" Ron asked, glaring at Draco.

"While I am equally revolted at the idea of going anywhere with you, I will come, just so Harry doesn't manage to get himself killed. Merlin knows that you idiot Gryffindors need a sane-minded person to keep you in line," Draco replied, glowering at Ron.

"Aren't you both in enough trouble for disobeying Madam Hooch?" Hermione questioned disapprovingly.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Draco and I are the new Seekers for Slytherin and Gryffindor!" Harry announced.

"Harry! We were supposed to keep that a secret!" Draco reminded him.

Shrugging, Harry said, "what's the point? They'll find out soon enough."

While Ron and Neville looked impressed, Hermione was clearly horrified. "I suppose you guys think this is your reward for breaking the rules?"

"Hey, if you've got a problem with it, take it up with McGonagall and Snape. I'm sure they'd love to hear your complaints," Harry suggested.

That shut Hermione up, at least about the flying issue, anyway. "Well, like I said before, I believe what you're planning on doing is wrong, and I will not be going. Neville agrees with me, right, Neville?"

"Umm...yeah," Neille said softly. "Sorry, Harry."

"That's alright," Harry said nonchalantly before turning to Draco and Ron. "Okay, here's the plan. While I have detention with Snape at seven, afterwards, we'll sneak Draco into the Gryffindor tower tonight before lights out, and when everyone is asleep, we'll go out…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"It's eleven," Harry whispered to Ron and Draco. "We should go."

"Hey, where's Neville?" Ron asked. Harry looked over at where Neville should've been sleeping, and noticed that his bed was empty.

"I'm sure he's fine," Harry replied, having an inkling about where both Neville and Hermione were.

Harry grabbed his cloak and wand, and the three of them crept down the spiral staircase. When they were about to reach the portrait hole, a voice spoke up from the chair by the fireplace.

A light flicked on. "You guys can't do this, Neville and I won't allow it," Hermione said bossily. Neville sat in the chair across from her, staring at them in disapproval.

"Mind your own business, Mud...Granger!" Draco replied angrily.

"Go back to bed!" Ron demanded. "Just because you're a stick in the mud who doesn't want to have fun, doesn't mean other people can't!"

"You guys could lose points for Gryffindor," Neville finally spoke up. "I don't think you should do this."

"Look, we're going to go, whether you like it or not," Harry said. "So you guys can either come with us, or sit back here until sunrise."

"Fine! I'm coming with!" Hermione said shrilly. "Come on, Neville," she said, grabbing the boy by the arm.

It was a bit of a tight fit to get a cloak around five people, but they managed, though it was a bit uncomfortable.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked.

"To the third floor corridor," Harry said. "Dumbledore's hiding something there, so I thought it'd be fun to find out more about it."

"Are you mental?" Ron said incredulously. "Dumbledore said we could die a painful death if we go down there!"

"I'm sure he was exaggerating. I mean, think about it! Putting something harmful in a school full of children? That's just irresponsible, Dumbledore wouldn't do something like that," Harry reassured them. _Actually, he totally would, but they don't know that…_

Harry continued leading the group of apprehensive children towards the third corridor, when suddenly, a loud voice made them all jump.

"WHAT'S THAT I HEAR? ARE THERE STUDENTS OUT OF BED?" Peeves yelled, bumping straight into the group, knocking them over. _Shit._

"Ooooh! No longer invisible, are we? FILCH! STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves called out. "COME AND CATCH THEM! QUICKLY, BEFORE THEY GET AWAY!"

"Shut up, Peeves. Look, we're heading to the third floor corridor, which will result in havoc and danger. We could potentially get ourselves killed doing this," Harry informed him. "Would you like to help us out?"

Peeves looked thoughtful. "Fine, I suppose this is a worthwhile cause. Just know that I hope you all come back maimed or seriously injured. It would be even better if you guys didn't get out of there alive."

"Thank you, Peeves," Harry said gratefully.

"GOT YOUR CONK! FILCHY! I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU! I'M COMING FOR YOU," the poltergeist screamed as he bolted out.

When they arrived at the third floor corridor, Harry performed a silent unlocking spell, before ushering the group in.

"Oh, look! It's a three-headed dog," Harry said casually, pointing at Fluffy.

Harry watched as his friends looked up fearfully, before screaming their heads off, and zooming out.

"You guys are so dramatic," Harry rolled his eyes as he followed them out the door. While the rest of them desperately tried to slam the door shut behind them, Harry casually stood there watching him, completely unbothered. He'd faced much worse before, after all. Besides, even if Fluffy really started attacking them, it wasn't like Harry didn't know enough magic to handle the situation. He wouldn't actually let anyone get hurt.

The other four didn't bother getting back under the Invisibility Cloak, and rushed to the Gryffindor common room. Harry just shrugged and went after them.

"Where on earth have you all been?" the Fat Lady asked dubiously. "Hey, he's not in this House...what's he doing here?" she narrowed her eyes at Draco.

"Never mind that! Pig snout!" Ron panted out.

They all ran in, and collapsed on the common room chairs. "Wasn't that fun?" Harry asked calmly.

"Do you know how absolutely psychotic you are, Harry?" Draco exclaimed. "We almost died!"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. We survived, didn't we? What are you fussing about?" Harry replied blithely.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I agree with Malfoy. You _are_ mad," Ron acknowledged as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quirinus walked to his classroom Friday morning, extremely annoyed and exhausted. The Dark Lord had been pestering him all night about the Philosopher's Stone, and it was rather difficult to sleep when one had another person on the back of their head.

When Quirinus finally stepped foot in his classroom, he felt something...wet. When he glanced down, he was horrified to discover that he was knee deep in muddy water. Quirinus nervously looked around, and noted that his entire classroom had been turned into a swamp.

Just as Quirinus began running into the hallway for help, he felt a jinx of some sort hit him. At first, he didn't notice anything different until he felt something hit the back of his head. It seemed as though somebody had charmed a couple handfuls of mud to repeatedly hit his turban.

"What are you doing, Quirrell!" the Dark Lord hissed angrily. "Make it stop!"

Quirinus desperately tried to figure out a counter-curse of some sort, but nothing he did made the mud stop hitting his master. As the Dark Lord grew increasingly irritated, Quirinus became a nervous wreck. Once the hex wore off, the Dark Lord was going to make him pay for this…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**September 23, 1991 (Full Moon)**

Harry arrived at the Shrieking Shack that night, and found out that he was the last to arrive. Remus, Sirius, and James stood there chatting happily. It seemed as though this place brought back a lot of memories of their school days.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get here! Ron and Neville wanted to know where I was going, and when I told them I was sneaking out for the night, they insisted they come with, believing that I was going out to do something dangerous. I had to reassure them that I wasn't," Harry explained.

"Well, you are doing something dangerous," Remus pointed out. "Harry, are you sure you want to do this? Even as an Animagus, there are risks when being around a Werewolf. This is your first time, so I wouldn't blame you if-"

"Moony!" Harry interrupted. "I would've joined you guys as soon as I'd become an Animagus if you had allowed it. Hell, with the Wolfsbane potion, it probably would've been okay for me to be around you in my human form, so I could've been with you even earlier than that. Trust me, it'll be fun."

After some more convincing from Harry, Remus finally stopped rambling on about how dangerous he was. They still had about half an hour before Remus would begin to transform. Harry took the time to tell the Marauders all about his first month of school, including the detentions and his epic prank on Quirrell.

"I can't believe you stole a prank idea from the Weasley twins! The swamp? The snowballs, well, I guess in this case, the mud balls...but still! That's blatant plagiarism!" Sirius whispered. "A true Marauder would be much more original than that!"

"Hey, I had them help me with the prank, so they still got partial credit for it. Besides, what's the point in having future knowledge, if you don't bother to use it?" Harry hissed back.

Five minutes before Remus would begin transforming, the Marauders got into their Animagus forms. Though the Wolfsbane potion lessened the effects of the transformation, it still seemed quite painful for Remus. The Animagi did their best to comfort Remus until the pain was over, and then the fun began.

Harry jumped on Remus, and they play-wrestled a bit (with Harry losing badly). James and Sirius were busy chasing each other around in circles, so when Remus and Harry were done wrestling, they joined in, the four of them having the time of their lives. Eventually, the four Animagi began jumping on each other, tussling each other to the ground. While Harry found that he quite enjoyed the rough-housing, he couldn't help but be annoyed about being the runt of the group. At least when he grew up, his stag form would grow as well.

When early morning came around, the Marauders bid Harry farewell, as they had to get back to Godric's Hollow before Lily found out they'd left. She was under the impression that they were transforming in the cellar downstairs, not at Hogwarts.

Harry smiled as he walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He'd had an incredible night with his family, which was more than he'd ever dreamed of as a child. Life was good, and Harry would stop at nothing to keep it that way.


	12. Halloween

One early October morning, Harry invited Draco to the Quidditch Pitch to have a Seeker contest, only to discover that there were already two people there.

"Cedric, Tonks!" Harry greeted as the two in the air flew down to meet them. Cedric landed on the ground smoothly, while Tonks tumbled on the grass, face first.

"Ugh, at this rate, I'll never make the Quidditch team. So much for your claim of being a miracle worker, that's just false advertising," Tonks grumbled to Cedric.

"Hey, your flying didn't look half bad," Harry reassured her.

"Yes, but any time Cedric puts a Quaffle in play, I get distracted and fall off my broom," Tonks groaned. "My goal was to become a Chaser this year," she explained.

"How do you know my name, Harry?" Cedric asked, looking puzzled.

Harry shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

"Oh, please. Any witch or wizard that doesn't know who you are is living under a rock. I mean, you have a huge line of merchandise, you're the Boy-Who-Lived, and you're the youngest Quidditch player in over a century," Cedric pointed out.

"Not just me, Draco is too," Harry replied, gesturing towards his blond friend. "Anyway, as I'm sure you've already heard, I'm a Dream Seer. In fact, I had a dream that you'd end up competing against me in a school death tournament."

Cedric looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"Don't ask too many questions about it," Tonks warned Cedric. "He'll just go on and on about some random shit that's never going to happen. It's better to not encourage him."

"Even if you don't encourage him, he's still bound to tell you something outrageous," Draco muttered.

"Oi, Tonks! I thought _you_ of all people would have some faith in me!" Harry exclaimed, feigning hurt.

"I lost all faith in your imaginary 'Dream Seering' when you predicted that I'd allow my future husband to call me by my first name! That's just absurd!" Tonks answered.

"I said your future husband would call you 'Dora', not 'Nymphadora'," Harry corrected. "And seeing as that's one of the tamer predictions I've made, why is that the one that jumps out to you so much?"

"Because my name is absolutely hideous!" Tonks said. "Even in the shortened form! My father only gets away with it because he's my dad."

"Honestly, I think your family needs to do away with the whole 'constellation thing'. It's a good thing that my dreams have told me that you're going to name your first born Teddy, after your dad," said Harry. "Oh, also, I'll be the godfather, of course."

"I thought you said to not encourage him," Cedric reminded Tonks. "It seems a lot like you're entertaining his ideas."

"I'm not entertaining him, I'm trying to get him to understand how ridiculous he is!" Tonks insisted. "There's two types of weird: the crazy weird, and the cool weird. While I am an example of the latter, Harry is the former."

"You act like that's a bad thing," said Harry.

"I never said it was," Tonks countered. "Personally, I like you. However, your crazy Seer predictions are even wackier than Trewelany's, which is saying a lot. It can be too much for anyone to handle. In fact, there have been rumours going around the first year Hufflepuffs that you're actually Voldemort in disguise. Some kid named Zacharias Smith claimed you wanted to kill all Muggleborns. Not that I believe any of it, of course, I just thought you should know that some kids think you're truly insane."

Interesting...it seemed as though the rumours about Harry being evil may not have started because of the Dueling Club incident, after all...Perhaps him being a Parseltoungue just gave more merit to the idea, so more people believed the crack theory.

"Well, I always knew that kid had a screw loose," Harry said, shrugging.

"Not that I don't agree with you, seeing as Smith is an absolute idiot, but you're not exactly the definition of 'sane' yourself, as we've already mentioned," Draco chimed in.

"Yes, well, he's both insane and an idiot. I'm insane and awesome, there's a big difference," Harry replied. "My dreams have also told me that when Voldemort attacks the school during my seventh year, Smith will be the adult pushing little kids out of the way, while he runs for his sorry life. He's a cowardly little bitch," Harry said unapologetically. "Unfortunately, his sorry arse survives, while I get killed by Voldemort. Don't worry though, I come back to life after that, and kill Voldemort with Expelliarmus."

The three others on the pitch just stared at him skeptically. They then gave each other looks, as if they were silently making an agreement to ignore Harry.

"So...anyway, you're a Malfoy, right? Draco Malfoy?" Tonks asked.

"Yes. My father is Lucius Malfoy," Draco said pompously. "We're the Most Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy."

"Wotcher, Draco. I'm your first cousin, Tonks," Tonks informed him. "Of course, my mother was disinherited from the Most Nobel and Ancient House of Black, so your parents probably want nothing to do with me, which is why we haven't met until now. If you aren't too much bigoted dick, we can be friends," Tonks offered her hand.

Draco looked to Harry, as if asking for permission, before hesitantly taking Tonks's hand. Oh, if the other timeline's version of Draco Malfoy could see this Draco, he'd be horrified. Who knew how much being friends with one person could change someone? Especially if said friend established themselves as the leader…

"Your mother is...Andromeda, right? I think I've heard Mother accidentally mention her a few times. I think she misses her, but doesn't want to lower her social standing. I'm sure you can understand that," Draco remarked.

"I thought marrying a Death Eater was as low as you could go," Tonks riposted.

"If you look on public record, you'll find it was concluded that he was under the Imperius Curse," Draco said defensively, though, judging from the look on his face, it seemed like he knew that was bullshit.

"Well, I'm just saying that if Narcissa misses my mother so much, she should just contact her. After all, not speaking to your sister because she married someone you don't approve of (even though you've never even bothered to get to know the spouse) is just ridiculous," Tonks said reasonably.

Draco didn't say anything back, but looked thoughtful.

XXXXXXXXX

"Harry Potter!" a shrill voice came from the mirror in Harry's pocket. The Gryffindor common room was empty, so Harry didn't bother going somewhere else for more privacy.

"Hey, Mum, what's got your wand in a knot?" Harry inquired.

"I just had a talk with Severus! Is it true that you've already managed to get over 12 detentions after just a month and a half of school?" Lily scolded.

"Padfoot and I are very proud!" James interjected in the background. "Of course, he'd be here to tell you himself, but he's currently out de-gnoming the garden as punishment for teaching Alaina some pranks. Your mother's idea, obviously."

Harry laughed. It seemed like Alaina was going to grow up to be another troublemaker. "Did Snape also mention that pretty much all of the detentions were from him? For petty 'crimes'?" Harry asked.

"I understand that you've been talking back to him!" Lily said.

"Okay, I do tend to provoke the guy a lot," Harry confessed. "But I'm sure it's nothing he can't handle! I mean, if he can deal with Voldemort, I'm sure he can put up with an 11 year old," Harry pointed out. "Anyway, did Snape also tell you that I made the Quidditch team? I'm the new Seeker!" Harry announced.

"What?" both his parents said simultaneously, looking shocked.

"Yep, McGonagall saw me fly a few weeks ago, and decided to make an exception for me," Harry said proudly, intentionally leaving out the fact that he'd technically been breaking the rules at the time.

"Weeks ago? Why didn't you tell us as soon as it happened?" James demanded. "This is big news! Quidditch is literally one of the most important aspects of life!"

Lily rolled her eyes, obviously in disagreement with his dad.

"It just slipped my mind," Harry said honestly. "With all of the detentions, the pranking, and the mayhem I've been causing, I was a bit preoccupied. I mean, I basically bragged about it to everyone at school, so I guess I'd just forgotten I hadn't told you yet until today," Harry explained. "By the way, I smuggled my broomstick in when I came here, so you guys don't need to send it to me."

"I'm very proud of you for sneaking your broomstick in! I didn't manage that as a first year! As for not telling us about making the team? As long as you've managed to cause a considerable amount of chaos, I guess that's a valid excuse...ow!" James exclaimed as Lily smacked his arm.

"Honey, I'm proud of you, but you need to focus more on your studies! If you still want to be an Auror, you'll have to do well on your OWLs, and you can't accomplish that if you don't have the basics down!" Lily lectured.

"Mum, I'm a genius. Just ask any of the professors, well, except Snape, anyway. I can do all the first year spells with my eyes closed. What's the point in doing the work if I already know the stuff?" Harry argued.

"He's got a point, Lily...OW!" James yelped again. "Stop hitting me!"

"I'll stop when you stop encouraging bad behavior!" Lily snapped back.

"I'm just saying, Sirius and I never put much effort into schoolwork, and we both became Aurors. If Harry gets good marks without having to try, I don't see the point in studying," James said reasonably.

"He might be fine now, James, but that doesn't mean he'll be ahead forever! What about when the material gets more difficult? If he doesn't develop good study habits now, it could come back to bite him in the arse later on!" Lily exclaimed.

"Alright, Mum. I'll create a study timetable and be the most diligent student ever," Harry lied. Honestly, even if he was concerned about his grades, he'd never do that. It just sounded like way too much work.

Lily looked skeptical, but accepted his answer. "Honey? Just please, try not to rile up Severus anymore. I know you guys got off on the wrong foot, but he's a good man."

James coughed loudly, looking like he was trying to hide a snicker.

"Okay," Harry relented. "As long as he doesn't show blatant hatred towards me, I will do my best not to make his hackles rise. I make no promises, however."

His mother sighed, "I guess that's the best I can hope for. You are too much like your father for your own good."

"Funny, Snape says the same thing. No wonder you two get along so well," Harry remarked. "Though, he gets mad whenever I thank him for the compliment, which is weird. I do try my best to thank him whenever he mentions it, but he sings the same praise so often, sometimes, it's hard to keep up with the thank yous," Harry said innocently.

James howled with laughter. "I'm proud of you, son. You truly are a Marauder!" "Look, we have to go, but we'll talk to you soon. Love you, Prongslet!"

"Stay safe, honey. Don't do anything dangerous, especially when you play Quidditch!" Lily added. "I love you, honey."

"Love you too," Harry answered. No matter how long he'd been in the past, it never got old to say 'I love you' to his parents. He never missed an opportunity to do so, because he knew what it was like to not have them in his life. He just prayed each day that he wouldn't be the cause of their deaths again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**October 31st, 1991**

"She's a nightmare! I'm telling you! No wonder she hasn't got any friends!" Ron exclaimed as he, Harry, and Draco walked out of Charms class. Unbeknownst to him, of course, Hermione was trailing behind them a few feet behind them as she chatted with Neville. Honestly, how could Ron be so unobservant?

"I think she was just trying to help you rectify your pronunciation, which is hardly a crime," Harry said reasonably. "And she's one of my best friends, so you're wrong about her not having any friends."

"Oh, please. For once, Weaselbee is right! The Mud...Granger just likes to make everyone feel bad! Just because she knows stuff doesn't mean she has to shove it in everyones' faces! The other day in potions, she wouldn't let me do anything, because apparently I wasn't being 'careful enough'," Draco scoffed. "The only friend she's got is you, and that's because you somehow tolerate everyone."

Harry opened his mouth to defend one of his oldest friends, but it was too late. Hermione pushed past them, sobbing. "Hermione, wait!" he cried out. Harry turned around to glare at Ron and Draco, before running after her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Once Harry and Hermione had made it to the girls' bathroom, Hermione locked herself in a stall.

"Go away, Harry," Hermione weeped. "You heard them, no one likes me! That's why I'm a loner with no friends!"

"Look, they might be my friends, but they're also 11 year old idiots," said Harry. "You're brilliant, Hermione, and they know that. They just don't like having someone correct them, even when they're wrong. And I'm your friend, Hermione."

There was still no response from Hermione, but Harry could still hear her quiet whimpering from outside the stall. Deciding that the best thing he could do was show her he was there for her, Harry sat on the other side, and the two of them skipped the rest of the day's classes together.

Harry couldn't help but feel like there was something big that had happened during Halloween in the last timeline, but for some reason, whatever it was had completely slipped his mind.

At once, Harry's brain seemed to be working again, and the memories of an ugly, smelly monster came back. Wait...those weren't memories, he could smell it right now, and the sounds of heavy footsteps were getting closer to them. _Shit, the troll!_

How was it that he could still remember the exact date of the day he'd first kissed Ginny, but had forgotten about the troll?

"Hermione, we have to get out of here!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Draco walked towards the Gryffindor table for the Halloween feast and searched for Harry. Unfortunately, Longbottom and Weasley were the only ones there. Draco briefly considered just sitting at the Slytherin table with the rest of his House, but quickly shot down that idea. One, because he didn't actually have any friends in his own House, and two, because he was concerned about Harry, and Longbottom and Weasley might know where he was. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, Draco was actually beginning to slightly...enjoy spending time with Longbottom and the blood traitor, not that he'd ever admit it. And though Draco knew he should hate the Mudblood, Granger, he often found himself impressed by her intellect and magical talent. He was actually feeling quite guilty about making her cry.

"Weasley, Long...Neville," Draco said, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. "Where are Harry and Granger?"

"I heard Parvati and Lavender say that Hermione's been crying in the girls' bathroom all afternoon. Harry's been in there with her," Longbottom informed him.

Draco dipped his head guiltily and saw Weasley do the same. However, he briefly forgot about his missing friend and the Mudblood when the feast began. Thousands of live bats fluttered through the air, and mountains of food appeared on the golden plates.

Just as Draco was about to help himself to a pumpkin pasty, Quirrell dashed into the Great Hall. "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS! Though you ought to know."

The pathetic teacher then dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar as students from all Houses screamed and pushed each other out of the way, some nearly trampling over other students.

"Silence!" Dumbledore rumbled. "Prefects, lead your Houses back to their dormitories immediately.

Draco briefly wondered how that would help the Slytherins, seeing as their dormitories were in the dungeons, when another thought came to his mind — Harry and the Mudblood didn't know about the troll.

Weasley's older brother spoke up. "Everybody, follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" Of course, he didn't seem to notice that there'd been a Slytherin sitting at the table.

"Weasley, Longbottom!" Draco hissed. "Harry and Granger! They don't know about the troll. We should get a teacher, maybe they can help."

"All the teachers have left already, they're needed in the dungeons to get rid of the troll, we'll have to go ourselves," Longbottom said, looking pale but determined. "We have to rescue Harry and Hermione."

"Oh, all right," Weasley snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

The three of them ducked down, out of the elder Weasley's sight, before joining the Hufflepuffs going the other way, and sneaked into an abandoned corridor. Right when they turned a corner towards the girls' bathroom, they heard footsteps creeping up behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Weasley, grabbing him and Longbottom and shoving them behind a statue.

But it wasn't Weasley's older brother, it was Severus Snape. He walked down the corridor quickly and disappeared. Draco noted that it looked like he was headed towards the third floor corridor, but before he had time to wonder what his Head of House was doing, Weasley spoke up.

"Do you smell that?"

Draco wrinkled his nose as he took in the foul odor, and when he looked to the end of the passageway on the left, he saw it. The ugliest, scariest thing he'd ever seen. It was the troll.

As the troll headed towards a doorway, the three of them tip-toed closely behind, absolutely terrified. "Hey," Longbottom pointed to a key. "Let's lock it in."

Before Draco had time to speak up, Weasley and Longbottom had already locked the troll in the bathroom, the girls' bathroom. "How thick are you two?" Draco snapped. "You just locked the troll in the girls' bathroom! Are you trying to save Harry and Granger...or get them killed?!"

"That's the girls' bathroom!" Longbottom gasped, looking even paler than he had been earlier.

Weasley's jaw fell. "We locked Hermione and Harry in with the troll!"

"No shit, Merlin! We have to go!" Draco exclaimed, dragging the two Gryffindors, quickly unlocking the door, and darting in.

Granger was lying in the corner of the bathroom, hands over her head, while Harry was shooting what looked like cutting curses at the troll. It appeared as though Harry was handling the troll just fine on his own.

Suddenly, Weasley picked up a small metal pipe, and thrusted it the troll's way. Needless to say, if the red headed idiot had just run his plan by Draco first, Draco could've told him it was a horrible idea. After all, a pipe wouldn't actually do any real damage to such a big creature, and would probably just aggravate it. Unfortunately, Weasley's aim was terrible, and instead of hitting the troll, the pipe hit Harry's wand, sending it flying across the room.

"Nice going, Weasel!" Draco said sarcastically as the troll picked up its club, and swung it Harry and Granger's way, demolishing the bathroom stalls and some sinks in the process.

Granger shrieked, ran to another corner, and cowered to the floor again, clearly too scared to do anything.

"Ron, Draco, Neville! Aim at the club, and use the Levitation Spell we just learned," Harry instructed. "You guys can do it!"

" _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " Draco yelled together with Longbottom and Weasley.

The club rose out of the troll's hand, and turned over, before smacking its owner right in the head. The troll swayed around for a bit, as if drunk, before falling with a _SPLAT!_

"Is it — dead?" Granger asked.

"I think it's just unconscious," Draco replied as he walked over to the other side of the room and handed Harry his wand.

"Thanks, Draco," Harry said gratefully.

"For your wand—or for saving your sorry arses?" Draco asked teasingly.

Surprisingly, it was Longbottom who spoke up. "You know, if you and Ron hadn't been so mean, they probably would not have needed saving," he pointed out.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Weasley answered.

Granger giggled, before muttering, "thanks."

A moment later, a group of professors came bustling in, probably having heard all the commotion.

Draco rolled his eyes as he noticed Quirrell nearly faint at the sight of the troll. Honestly, how did that moron ever become a professor?

The Potions Master gave Draco a flabbergasted look before bending down to inspect the troll, probably because going after a troll was a reckless Gryffindor thing to do.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" McGonagall asked furiously. "You could've been killed!"

When it looked like Granger was about to speak up, Harry spoke over her. "Hermione, Draco, Ron, Neville, and I were headed to the Great Hall for the feast, when Hermione had to use the loo. Hermione and I told the rest of them to go on without us, while I waited for her outside. Then, a troll came stomping into the girls' bathroom. I went inside to help her out, but being just two trifling first years, we were having a bit of trouble. When Ron, Draco, and Neville noticed we still hadn't arrived at the feast, they went looking for us. They saved us. Without them, we'd be dead by now," Harry lied.

Draco was grateful that Harry hadn't told the professors the real reason for why Harry and Granger had been in the bathroom, and it seemed Weasley was too.

McGonagall huffed as she most likely tried to decide what to do with them. "Well, while it was very foolish to take on a troll by yourselves, and you most definitely should've gotten a teacher involved, I must admit that your nobility is admirable. I will reward 10 points to Gryffindor, and five points to Slytherin for sheer dumb luck. You may go."

From that moment on, the five of them became best friends. Draco wasn't sure how he felt about being part of a group that allowed in both blood traitors and Mudbloods, but he did find that he was having quite a bit of fun in their company. What he was sure about, however, was that his father would not be happy when he heard about it.


	13. Magical Mirrors and Quidditch

When early November came around, Harry couldn't help but feel excited. Quidditch season was here, which not only meant that he'd get to play his favorite sport, but that he'd be able to see his parents when they came to watch his matches.

The day prior to Harry's first Quidditch match, the quintet relaxed outside in the icy courtyard. Harry provided the group with some heating charms, while Hermione conjured a few flames to keep them warm.

Once again, Snape was limping near them. Looks like he hadn't had a nice encounter with Fluffy. While the others looked nervous, trying to hide the fire they thought may not be allowed, Harry cheerfully waved the sullen looking man over. "Hey, sir! Beautiful day, isn't it? Sirius wrote me yesterday, and he, Remus, and Dad wanted to say 'hi'. They'd like to thank you for keeping me in line with all of your detentions."

Snape didn't seem to notice the fire, but appeared to be in an even grumpier mood than usual. Or maybe that was just his reaction to seeing Harry. Mentioning the names of the Marauders in front of him probably wasn't helping his mood either. "Potter!" Snape snapped. "What do you have there?"

"Uh...my potions essay?" Harry answered, holding up his parchment for Snape to see.

"Turn out your pockets," Snape barked.

Harry casually emptied his pockets, only to remember he had the Marauders' Map on him. Whoops.

The Potions professor quickly picked it up. "What's this?" he asked.

"A spare bit of parchment," Harry said casually. "Sirius, Remus, and my dad gave it to me. It's got quite a bit of sentimental value, just because I treasure whatever my family gives me. Of course, I don't know why they gifted it to me, probably their idea of a joke. Really, a piece of parchment as a present? That's just cheap."

If he was actually an 11 year old with the map, he'd probably be a bit concerned about Snape finding it. But as a 30 year old who could easily sneak the map back from Snape if confiscated, he thought it might be a bit funny to see if the map would spit out the same insults as it did the last time Snape tried to read it. Besides, he'd added a few durability charms to the map a little while ago, so it was now indestructible. It wasn't like Snape could destroy it—even if he tried.

"Hand it over, Potter," Snape snarled.

Shrugging, Harry handed Snape the map.

"Professor Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, orders you to reveal your secret," Snape growled.

Harry snorted. Whatever the parchment was about to spit out would definitely be entertaining.

Snape handed Harry the map. "Read it," he demanded.

Looking down at the map, Harry chuckled at the insults. His father had told him that while the map was charmed to insult anyone who tried to read it without the password, the Marauders had made the jibes towards Snape much more detailed on purpose.

_Mr Moony presents his compliments to Snivellus Snape, but would like to suggest that he brush his crooked, yellow teeth._

_Mr Wormtail agrees with Mr Moony, and would like to add that Snivelly is a greasy-haired, ugly git with foul breath._

_Mr Padfoot would like to know what the headmaster was smoking when he appointed a moron like Snivellus as a professor._

_Mr Prongs bids Professor Snivelly farewell, and advises him to get his fat, ugly nose out of other peoples' business._

After Harry read the insults out loud, he glanced up at Snape. The man appeared to be having a fit. If his fast-paced huffing, evil eye, and baring teeth were anything to go by, it seemed as though Snape very much wanted to cause Harry long-lasting suffering and grievous bodily harm, though that was pretty standard in both timelines.

To Harry's surprise, Snape angrily took the map out of his hands, before making a show of dramatically thrusting it back at him. "Get out of here, Potter, you and your little friends," Snape hissed. "And note that five points will be taken from Gryffindor for possession of an inappropriate piece of parchment on school grounds." Snape then grabbed his robe, threw it backwards, and stormed off.

Harry nearly snorted again. _An inappropriate piece of parchment on school grounds? The man definitely just pulled that rule out of his arse. Couldn't he at least come up with something more believable? Say, possession of an inappropriate magical artifact on school grounds? Honestly, it's like he wasn't even trying..._

"Thank you, sir. Hope you have a wonderful day," Harry called out brightly.

Harry briefly wondered why Snape had given the map back to him, but concluded that he probably didn't want to hold on to anything that had once belonged to his arch enemies. And perhaps Snape was worried about Harry tattling to Lily, seeing as Snape actually didn't have any grounds to confiscate the map, and he wanted to avoid conflict with the woman he loved.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"What was that, Harry?" Draco asked him as the five of them walked back to the castle.

Harry gave Draco a puzzled look. "What was what?" he replied innocently.

"Well, first off, what was that parchment? And don't give me some cock and bull about how you don't know what it is, you obviously do. Also, why did you invite Professor Snape over? Anyone can see that the man hates you, do you have a death wish?" Draco clarified.

"Oh, this old thing?" Harry pulled the map back out of his pocket. "It's just an old map that shows everyone in the castle. Specifically, what they're doing every moment of every day. Also, it shows a bunch of secret passageways," Harry said nonchalantly as he took out his wand, pointing it at the parchment. "Let me show you...I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The rest of his friends looked on in amazement. Ron was the first to speak. "Harry! Why didn't you tell me you had this before?!"

"You already knew about it," Harry reminded him. "Fred and George offered it up to me at the barrier the day we first met."

"Yes, but I didn't know what it was back then!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry shrugged. "Then you should've asked."

"Are you sure it's safe to use?" Hermione asked skeptically. "I've read that you should never trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain. Perhaps you should hand it over to Professor McGonagall."

Ron looked outraged. "What? Hand over something that good? Are you mental?"

"I mean, if Harry's dad gave it to him, it can't be dangerous," Neville said reasonably. "I don't think Mr Potter would hand Harry anything harmful."

"Hermione, my dad, godfather, and uncle made the map. Trust me, they were troublemakers, but they'd never use anything dark on the map. They were pranksters with only the most noble intentions. They just wanted to help the next generation of lawbreakers," Harry explained.

The bushy-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Right, because helping people break the rules is noble. But...I suppose if you know the people who made it and trust them, then it is probably all right…"

"Where are we?" Neville looked around nervously, probably just having realized that Harry had led them somewhere unfamiliar. "I think the staircases moved, we're on the wrong floor."

"Relax, Neville. I had a dream that there was some kind of magical mirror in an abandoned classroom around here, and I wanted to check it out. And before you say anything, Hermione, it isn't against the rules to 'study' in an abandoned classroom during the day," said Harry.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this…" Draco muttered.

"Probably because the last time Harry led us somewhere, we almost got eaten alive by a dog with three heads," Ron answered, looking pale as a sheet.

"Come on, guys. Fluffy is harmless, and this magical mirror can't kill you either. Although, if you use it too much, it may drive you mad," Harry responded.

There were various apprehensive responses from his friends.

"Yeah, that makes me feel better," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I thought you were already mad," Draco grumbled.

"That ugly thing has a name?!" Ron asked incredulously.

"I'm scared," Neville said candidly.

"Oh, don't be nervous. I promise you, it's perfectly safe," Harry reassured them.

He got a bunch of skeptical looks in response.

"I think your definition of safe differs from that of a normal person, Harry," Hermione said finally.

Harry continued wandering along the corridor, occasionally peeking his head in to see if the Mirror of Erised was there. "Aha, here we are!" Harry announced as he ushered the group inside.

"stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," Ron read the inscription. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Hermione answered. "You just have to read it backwards, Ronald. Honestly, did no one else get that?"

Harry blinked in surprise. He actually hadn't ever figured that out. Even at 11, Hermione was more clever than he'd ever be. "You're brilliant, Hermione," Harry commended.

Hermione blushed slightly. "No, I'm just highly logical, which allows me to find solutions to problems more quickly," she corrected.

"Gra...Hermione, just accept the compliment," Draco rolled his eyes.

"So, anyway," Heriome spoke up again. "I'm assuming that this mirror shows your greatest desire in life, as per the title. As Harry mentioned earlier, I'm sure that could drive anyone mad if they used it consistently, especially if their dream is something unachievable."

"Yep," Harry stated as he walked to the front of the mirror, curious to see what it would show him this time. Yet, when he looked into the mirror, he saw nothing different. The mirror still showed him as an 11 year old, with his friends standing next to him in an abandoned classroom. "Hm...it must be broken...I don't see anything…"

"Let me try!" Ron said eagerly, gently pushing Harry out of the way. "Woah! It's me, but...I'm older and I'm Head Boy. I'm holding the Quidditch Cup, and I'm captain of the team!" Ron looked absolutely joyous. "This is bloody incredible," he added dreamily.

So...that meant that the mirror still worked. Dumbledore had once told him that the happiest man alive would see himself standing in the mirror, without any changes in his surroundings. The more Harry thought about it, in his current timeline, he had everything he'd ever wanted. His friends and family were all alive, which was all he'd ever wished for. He truly was the happiest he'd ever been, and there wasn't anything else he really desired, other than to keep everything just the way it was. Sure, he missed the older version of his friends in the other timeline, but he had them all here with him now—plus his family. He wouldn't trade what he had now for the world. While he never would've intentionally left his previous life behind (after all, he'd ended up in a new timeline by tripping and falling through the Veil), he had to admit that he was much happier as he was now.

Hermione approached the mirror next, and Harry watched as her eyes widened at first in surprise, before her face relaxed into a smile.

"Tell us what you see!" Ron demanded tactlessly.

"Well…" Hermione began nervously. "I see all of you, but we're older...and we're still best friends. I never had many friends in Muggle school, so I guess it makes sense," she confessed. "I'm also holding hands with R— never mind. Neville, would you like to go?" Hermione looked absolutely mortified about nearly confessing her crush on Ron.

"Y-Yeah," Neville squeaked as he stepped in front of the mirror. "I see...I see me, but I'm older, taller, and brave. I-I'm not a wimp anymore. Gran and the rest of my extended family are proud of me, and so are Mum and Dad." Neville then ducked his head, clearly embarrassed by his greatest desire.

"You've already made your Mum and Dad proud, Neville," Harry said kindly. "And you're one of the bravest people I know."

Neville didn't look like he believed Harry, but murmured, "thanks."

When Draco made it to the front of the mirror, his jaw dropped, and Harry saw a lone tear stream down his face. Naturally, the usually composed boy quickly wiped it away and went stoic again.

Seeming to pick up on Draco's fragile emotional state, Hermione said, "You don't have to tell us."

Draco nodded gratefully in her direction before turning away from the mirror.

"You see your father, showing you love and affection," Harry whispered. "He's in the moment with you, and not preoccupied with his job or any other responsibilities. Your mother and father are proud of you, even though you've chosen a different path from the rest of the family."

From the look on Draco's face, Harry could tell he was correct. "Wha—please don't tell me your dreams told you that."

Harry thought back to the Final Battle at Hogwarts, and the way Narcissa and Lucius had prioritized Draco's life over their loyalty to Voldemort. Hell, Narcissa had lied straight to Voldemort's face, just so she could get to Draco, despite the fact that she could've been killed for it. Once the whole family was back together, the Malfoys fled together, their love for each other stronger than anything else. "My dreams told me your wish will come true one day," Harry answered, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning of his first Quidditch match, Harry bobbed his leg up and down, beyond excited to see his family again. His friends seemed to mistake his excitement for nerves.

"Harry, you're going to be fine," Hermione assured him. "Come on, eat some toast, Harry. You'll need your strength today," she said, shoving two thick slices of toast his way.

"Come on, Harry. I'm a great Seeker, but so are you. Even though I will obviously get the Snitch before you, I'm sure you'll give me a run for my money out there," Draco said cockily.

"There's no way Slytherin can win with Harry as a Seeker for Gryffindor," Ron insisted. "You might be good, but Harry's better.

"I think they're both equally good," Neville said quietly, always one to try to keep the peace.

The two boys ignored Neville's comment. Draco made a rude hand gesture at Ron, while the redheaded boy stuck his tongue out back at him. Harry rolled his eyes. He often had to remind himself that they were just children. They had an excuse to be immature, unlike Sirius. Not that Harry didn't have his fair share of childish moments, but hey, he had a part to play.

Speaking of his irresponsible godfather, it appeared as though Harry's family had arrived to watch the match. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Sirius cried out. His godfather was so loud in fact, Harry thought he might've used Sonorus. Leave it to Sirius to make a dramatic entrance.

Harry turned around and saw his parents, Alaina, Sirius, and Remus walking towards the Gryffindor table. Harry got up from the table and met them halfway, giddily hugging all of them. "You're here!" Harry yelled out excitedly.

The Great Hall seemed to go silent as everyone watched the Boy-Who-Lived greet his family. Seriously, did people not have anything better to do? From the teacher's table, Harry saw Snape scowl right at his godfather and the other Marauders.

"Did you think we'd miss your first Quidditch match?" James asked. "Especially against those slimy snakes. I can't wait to see you crush those shitheads!"

"James!" Lily admonished, rolling her eyes.

"What? A little rivalry is healthy!" James asserted.

Lily ignored James, and focused back on Harry. "Oh, honey," Lily cried out as she hugged him again. "I've missed you so much, sweetie!"

While other children would be mortified at the thought of their mother smothering them with affection in the Great Hall, Harry couldn't get enough of it. He'd take being embarrassed by his mother on a daily basis, over not having her around.

"Lily, let the boy breathe," Sirius said.

Harry and Lily reluctantly let go of each other, as it was time to go down to the Quidditch pitch. Harry waved over his friends, eager to introduce them to his family.

When the four others finally made their way to Harry's family, the group walked to the pitch together. "Guys, this is Ron, Hermione, Draco, and you already know Neville, of course. Draco's also a first year Seeker, for Slytherin."

"So...you're the snake my son has befriended," James stated, sizing the blonde boy up. "Well, so far, you don't seem half bad. Just know that I won't be rooting for you out there, and won't be too upset if you make a fool of yourself."

"Sorry," Remus apologised on James' behalf. "Harry's father is Quidditch-crazed, which makes him act even more immature than he usually does. His definition of cheering is trash-talking the other team."

Draco shrugged. "It's alright. Harry is going to need all the cheering he can get when he's up against me. After all, he's not quite up to my level," he teased.

"Oh, you did not just say that!" Harry retorted. "Who was it that lost all the Seeker competitions we've had so far?"

"We've only had two, and one of them didn't count!" Draco argued. "A bloody bird got in the way right when I was about to get the Snitch!"

Harry's family and friends continued to chat on their way to the Quidditch pitch, until the adults went over to the parents and staff box, while the kids went to either join their teams, or go to the student section.

XXXXXXX

"Severus!" Lily greeted her friend once the family was in the parents and staff box. "It's so good to see you!" Lily embraced her best friend.

"Hi, Lily," Severus replied, offering up a smile that was rarely seen by others.

"Do you mind if we sit next to you? Of course, I'll sit in the spot right by you, while James and the others sit on my other side. I don't really fancy you guys going at it hammer and tongs," said Lily.

"Yes, of course," Severus answered, moving over to make room for Lily. Lily noticed that he seemed to be purposely avoiding eye contact with the Marauders and Alaina, which was probably for the best. Merlin knew that even if they tried to have a civil conversation, it would end up in either a duel, or a fist fight. At least, James and Sirius would brawl with Severus. Remus would probably have enough sense to try and break them up, only to unintentionally get involved himself. All in all, talking meant things would get messy very quickly.

Just then, an older blond man that looked exactly like Draco sauntered into the box. The man was undoubtedly Draco's father. He used a silver and black walking cane, and his resting expression appeared to be a sneer. "Severus, my friend," the man addressed as he sat on Severus's other side.

"Hello, Lucius," Severus responded curtly.

While Lily was aware of the Malfoy family's views on blood purity, she figured it couldn't hurt to give the man a chance. After all, he was the father of her son's best friend. "Hi, I'm Lily Potter. Earlier, I met your son, Draco. Our boys have become quite good friends."

"Yes, of course, what a pleasure to meet you. Lucius Malfoy," he said as he offered her his hand.

Lily politely took his hand, surprised by the kind gesture. After all, with Harry's fame, it was common knowledge that his mother was a Muggleborn. Though Lily suspected that his friendliness had a lot to do with the status Harry could offer the Malfoy family.

"This is my husband, James," Lily introduced, pointing to her husband who was eyeing Lucius dubiously. "Of course, Harry told me you met Sirius at Diagon Alley, that's my daughter, Alaina, and that's Remus over there," Lily finished.

"Don't bother offering me your hand again," Sirius said. "I still won't take it. I don't care if we're 'family' through Cissy, I don't like you," Sirius finished, crossing his arms and turning away.

Lucius directed a scowl Sirius's way, but didn't reply. It seemed as though he knew better than to start a brawl at a school sports game.

"I'm sorry about that," Lily said quickly. "It's just that-"

"Black is immature and has yet to grow out of his schoolboy days," Severus cut in.

"Well, I wouldn't have worded it that way, but yes," Lily replied.

"Oh, shove off, Snivellus," Sirius snapped.

"What? His name is Snivellus? I thought Mum said it was Severus…" Alaina looked confused. "Snivellus is not a very pretty name, I like Severus better."

"His name is Severus, honey," Lily answered quickly. "Your uncle just got his name wrong by accident," she lied.

"But—Uncle Padfoot talks about a guy named Snivellus all the time. Uncle Padfoot says he, Uncle Moony, and Dad used to prank him all the time at school—How would he not know the right name? Uncle Padfoot just called whoever Snivellus is—a greasy git—but I didn't know he was talking about someone here-" James covered their daughter's mouth.

Severus looked downright homicidal, so Lily put a comforting arm on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sev," she apologized before turning to her daughter. "Alaina, say sorry to _Severus_. That's his real name, don't listen to anything Sirius says, he's just rude." Lily glowered at the man in question.

After James took his hand off Alaina's mouth, the six year old spoke up. "You mean...he got the name wrong on purpose? That's mean, Uncle Padfoot, you should say sorry," Alaina gave Sirius a pointed look. "Here, I'll go first," Alaina turned to Severus, "I'm sorry, Severus. I hope we can still be friends."

Though Severus didn't say anything back, Lily could've sworn she saw the corners of his mouth twitch upward.

Sirius looked flabbergasted by Alaina's request. Scowling at Severus, Sirius reluctantly said, "sorry, Sniv...Severus." The words came out sounding like they left a bad taste in his mouth.

Alaina nodded in approval and hugged Sirius. "That's better."

Lily was saved from having to keep the peace by the start of the match. James and Sirius made sure to cheer loudly for Gryffindor, especially for Harry. When the commentator, a boy named Lee Jordan made obviously biased remarks towards Gryffindor, Lily found herself smiling, while James and Sirius laughed in appreciation. Of course, McGonagall did her best to keep him in line, but Lily could tell that she too was amused.

The excitement really mounted when both Harry and Draco had spotted the Snitch. Both of them were racing each other to get to the golden ball, but Harry was just a smidge faster. Lily watched in anticipation as Harry reached his hand out to grab the Snitch, when suddenly, a Slytherin Chaser nearly knocked Harry off his broom, clearly purposefully. Lily stomped her foot down in anger. It was too bad Quidditch didn't have red cards like in soccer. Not to mention—Harry could've been seriously hurt.

"Keep going, sweetie. Don't let him knock you down!" Lily encouraged.

"Oh, that rotten slimy snake!" James yelled.

"The bitch deserves an arse-whooping!" Sirius exclaimed, outraged.

"That's blatant cheating! He should be punished!" added Remus.

"Do you think Harry still has time to get the Snitch again?" Alaina asked.

To Lily's annoyance, Severus didn't seem to find anything wrong with the Slytherin Chaser's behavior, as he sat there, completely unbothered.

Lee Jordan obviously was finding it hard to take sides, and rightfully so. "So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"

"Jordan!" McGonagall warned. But even Lily's former strict teacher didn't seem to care as much about the biased commentary.

"Fine, Professor! So—after Flint's nearly murders the Gryffindor Seeker, a complete accident, I'm sure, Gryffindor gets a penalty. As we continue to play, Gryffindor is still in possession."

Lily watched nervously as Harry dodged another Bludger that was inches away from taking out his head. Honestly, if it were up to her, Harry would never play a game of Quidditch again — it was far too violent. Then, suddenly, it seemed as though Harry had lost control of his broom. It was twitching back and forth, and her son barely seemed to be hanging on.

"What's going on? Harry can't have lost control of the broom, that's not possible! We need a time out—this isn't safe!" Lily exclaimed.

"We can't call a timeout from the audience, Lils," her husband reminded her. From his tone of voice, Lily could tell that James was scared too.

"Someone's got to be cursing his broom," Remus said. "There's no way a Nimbus can just start going wild like that—something's wrong."

"One of those no good snakes must have done it!" James proclaimed loudly.

Lucius then chimed in, defending his former House's students. "This is Dark Magic beyond the abilities of any school student. If someone is indeed cursing Potter's broom, it must be an adult wizard with extensive training."

"Like yourself?" James accused.

"If I were currently cursing his broom, I wouldn't be able to focus on talking to you, now would I?" Lucius retorted.

That shut her husband right up. While James could be rather rash when accusing people, he wasn't illogical, and could probably recognize that Lucius made a good point.

"Will Harry be okay?" Alaina asked nervously, tears streaming down her face. Lily saw Sirius put his arm around her reassuringly.

"Stupid stuttering turban-head," Lily thought she heard Sirius mutter. But she didn't have time to dwell on what he meant by that, Harry was in danger—they needed to help him.

"Hold on, Harry!" Lily called out anxiously. Lily wished she could do something, but she knew very little about Dark Magic, especially the kind that was powerful enough to tamper with a broomstick, and wouldn't be able to perform a counter-curse—at least, not without researching first.

"Don't worry, Lily. I'll do a counter-curse," Severus whispered before he focused in on Harry, and began muttering a spell.

Lily looked on nervously, desperately waiting for Harry's broom to go back to normal. She could count on Severus, as he was quite knowledgeable in the Dark Arts.

At that moment, it seemed as though Harry had decided to make a brave, but extremely stupid move. Lily watched on in horror as her son jumped off his broom from 50 feet in the air, as he had likely spotted the Snitch below him. Of course, her son would prioritize winning a Quidditch match, over his life.

"HARRY!" Lily screamed in horror. Harry appeared to have gotten his hands around the Snitch, but Lily couldn't care less about that. How could her son be so careless with his life? Lily quickly fired off a cushioning charm, hoping that would be enough to break his fall. Harry appeared to be falling at a much slower pace as well, and seeing that Dumbledore's wand was out, Lily guessed he was the reason for that. It looked like he would be just fine, but when Harry was off that field, he was going to get an earful.

Seconds later, Lily felt a warm sensation by her side. When she looked down, she was shocked to see that Severus's robes had been lit aflame. "Severus! You're on fire!" she shouted.

Since Severus had just stopped performing his counter-curse, he didn't seem to notice that he was on fire until Lily's warning.

 _Aguamenti!_ " Lily said quickly, drenching her friend in water.

Overall, Severus seemed a bit annoyed by the whole situation—not that Lily could blame him. Not only had his efforts to counteract the curse been completely useless (due to Harry's reckless behavior), but he'd somehow ended up on fire, and subsequently soaked in water.

"I've got the Snitch!" Lily heard Harry announce. "We won! Hell yeah!" It seemed as though her son had been completely unphased by the incident. Yes, he would definitely be getting a lecture on self-preservation when she got to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN YOUR BACK! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, YOUNG MAN?!"

Though Harry had been completely unscathed after the Quidditch match, the teachers had insisted that he be taken to the Hospital Wing, where he was currently being told off by his (understandably) furious mother. The rest of his family and his four best friends were also by his bedside, but it seemed that no one would dare interrupt Lily's tirade.

"I mean, I just figured that with all the teachers in the crowd, there was no way someone wouldn't do something to help break my fall. Besides, as long as I didn't die on impact, I'm sure there's a healing spell that would have me back to normal in seconds—no matter how gruesome the injury, " Harry replied blithely. "But—the important thing is that Gryffindor won. Aren't you happy for me?"

"HAPPY? HOW CAN I BE HAPPY WHEN YOU ALMOST DIED?!" Lily screamed again.

"To be fair, I've already had a close encounter with death since being here. Hermione, Ron, Neville, Draco, and I did fight off a fully-grown Mountain Troll on Halloween, after all," Harry said casually.

"Harry, this is no time to joke!" Lily snapped.

"I'm not joking! We really did fight a troll on Halloween. A professor let it in," Harry informed her.

"What? What kind of idiot Professor would let a troll in the school?" Lily asked incredulously, probably having realized that Harry was not kidding. "I'm going to have a little chat with Dumbledore!"

"It was Snape!" Hermione chimed in. "Ron, Neville, and I saw him. He was cursing Harry's broom. I've read all about Dark Curses. You have to make eye contact—and Snape wasn't blinking. And when I set his robes on fire, Harry's broom stopped twitching and fell to the ground. He must've let the troll in as a diversion to steal what Fluffy's guarding! Ron, Neville, and Draco said they saw him headed towards the third floor corridor."

"You're the one who set Severus on fire?" Lily questioned.

"Yes, to save Harry!" Hermione insisted. "It was Snape, I'm sure of it!"

Neville and Ron bobbed their heads in agreement. Draco just rolled his eyes, so at least he wasn't one to jump to conclusions.

"While I'm grateful for what you tried to do to save Harry, you shouldn't have set a teacher on fire," Lily reprimanded. "And besides, I was sitting next to Severus, he was performing a counter-curse. I can assure you that he is most certainly not involved in any sort of nefarious scheme."

"Snape is evil and wants whatever was almost stolen at Gringotts. Why else would he go after a three-headed dog? As awful as he is, I don't think he's suicidal," Neville said.

"There's a Cerberus at Hogwarts? What's Dumbledore thinking, keeping a thing like that in a school?" Lily looked shocked. "Oh, now I am definitely heading to his office after this is over! That's a safety hazard!"

"Whatever it is guarding, it must be important," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Hagrid knows about it! Remember? He said something about Nicholas Flamel! We need to ask him more questions about it—so we can keep it safe from Snape!"

"Don't be ridiculous, guys. It wasn't Snape, it was Quirrell," Harry added nonchalantly.

"The stuttering guy we ran into on the way to the Great Hall?" James asked skeptically. "What makes you think it was him?"

"I had a dream about it," Harry answered.

There was a series of eye rolls and groans (excluding Sirius, who already knew about Quirrelldemort).

"That guy is a scaredy cat. He screamed when he bumped into Uncle Remus. I think you're wrong, Harry," Alaina piped up.

Everyone (save Sirius) seemed to share the same sentiment as his sister. Oh well. They'd find out he was right soon enough.


	14. Howlers and Christmas

The morning after Harry's first Quidditch match, he and his friends sat at the Gryffindor table, calmly enjoying their meal. Then—the mail came.

Harry didn't get anything that morning, but it seemed that the headmaster had received a letter from his mother's owl, Diana. Interesting—considering the fact that Lily had gone to Dumbledore's office after the match, only to find that he'd just left on Ministry business. She'd been pretty heated with the man, and the fact that he hadn't been there for her to yell at in person only increased her frustration.

The red letter exploded in front of the startled old man.

" _ALBUS DUMBLEDORE! I WILL KEEP THIS RELATIVELY UNDETAILED DUE TO POSSIBLE SECURITY THREATS IF THE INFORMATION WERE TO GET OUT, BUT JUST KNOW THAT I KNOW WHY FLUFFY'S AT SCHOOL, AND I DO NOT APPROVE! HARRY LEFT ME ENOUGH CLUES TO FIGURE IT OUT! THAT'S ENDANGERING THE KIDS, INCLUDING MY SON! ISN'T THERE ANY PLACE OTHER THAN A SCHOOL FULL OF CHILDREN TO PUT THAT THING? ALSO, ALLOWING A TROLL TO GET INTO THE SCHOOL?! ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WAS PROBABLY LET IN AS A DISTRACTION TO GET TO FLUFFY! I'M ASTOUNDED THAT MY SON HAS NEARLY BEEN KILLED MULTIPLE TIMES UNDER YOUR WATCH! NOW, AS MUCH AS I RESPECT YOU, THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T CRITICIZE YOU WHEN I THINK YOU'RE IN THE WRONG. DO BETTER TO KEEP HARRY SAFE, OR I'M TAKING HIM OUT OF HOGWARTS!"_ Lily shouted.

Harry glanced at Snape, who actually looked like he might laugh.

" _By the way, Harry, Sirius and I are really proud of all the rule-breaking you've been doing. You're really honoring our legacy as a next generation Marauder,_ " James chimed in calmly. " _Just thought I should say that for everyone to hear."_

" _NOW, HARRY!"_ Sirius screamed even louder than Lily had. " _BY THE TIME YOU COME HOME FOR WINTER BREAK, I'M EXPECTING THAT YOU GET AT LEAST NINE MORE DETENTIONS. PREFERABLY, ONE FOR PRANKING MY DEAR FRIEND SNIV...SNAPE! IF YOU DON'T MEET MY REQUIREMENTS, YOU WON'T GET ANY PRESENTS FROM ME!"_

Snape's near laugh was gone in an instant, and was now replaced by a scowl and a large bulging vein on his forehead.

Harry could hear Remus and James chuckling in the background, while Alaina quietly asked, " _what's with all the yelling?"_

" _JAMES! SIRIUS!"_ Lily screeched.

" _Sorry, love,"_ James answered sheepishly.

" _I apologize, Lily flower,"_ Sirius added.

" _I EXPECTED BETTER OF YOU!"_ Lily finished. The letter then blew a raspberry, before exploding into pieces all over Dumbledore's breakfast.

While there were a few chuckles from some of the Slytherin students and Fred and George, most people just looked shocked, seeing as it was usually students that got Howlers, not teachers, and definitely not the _headmaster_.

"Wow, I thought my mum could yell," said Ron, looking amazed.

"Mrs Potter can be scary when she gets angry," Neville agreed. "One time when I was at Harry's house, he and Sirius got in trouble for putting Dungbombs all over the house. I really thought she might explode, her face was the same color as her hair!"

"I don't think I've ever seen the old coot so flabbergasted," Draco snorted. "That was awesome."

Hermione didn't appear to share Draco's sentiment. "I can't believe your mum yelled at a teacher! Especially someone like Dumbledore!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"I mean, she didn't say anything that wasn't true," Harry pointed out. "While Dumbledore is a great wizard, he isn't infallible. One could argue that he's rather careless for putting a dangerous creature like Fluffy in a school, and hiding a highly sought-after artifact like the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts. Plus, the troll was let in as a result of Quirrell (who as I mentioned before, has Voldemort on the back of his head) trying to get the stone. Seriously, it's as if he's using it as bait to attract Voldemort." _Little do the rest of them know, that's exactly what the old man is doing._

"The Philosopher's Stone? There's a Philosopher's Stone here? If what you're saying is true, how would you even know about that?" Hermione asked disbelievingly.

_Whoops, I forgot that we technically haven't figured that tidbit out yet… Might as well go all out with the "Dream Seer" thing. Maybe they'll eventually figure out I'm not joking about my foreknowledge._

"Hagrid told us that Nicholas Flamel had something to do with the hidden package, so last night, I asked my dreams to show me what Nicholas Flamel is known for. If my dreams are correct, Hermione, you checked out a book on alchemy weeks ago, but you didn't bother using it to look up Flamel, because you assumed he would be in a more 'recent' book," Harry answered. "It's a good thing we don't have to pester Hagrid about it anymore. The poor man would just be even angrier at himself for giving out so much information."

Hermione's face showed both skepticism and shock. Then, without saying anything, she dashed out of the Great Hall, probably to look for said book.

"What's the Philosopher's Stone?" Ron asked. Based on the looks on both Draco's and Neville's faces, it seemed they didn't know any more than Ron.

XXXXXXXXXX

When the winter holidays came around, once again, Ron's parents decided to go to Romania to see Charlie for Christmas, so Harry invited all the school-age Weasleys to Godric's Hollow for the holiday.

Harry and Ron found Percy and the twins before bidding Hermione, Neville and Draco goodbye at the train station. The Potters, Remus, and Sirius awaited Harry on the other side of the barrier, and Harry couldn't help but act like an excitable 11 year old as he hugged them all tightly.

"How's your semester been going so far?" Remus asked him as the group headed to the Portkey a few blocks from the train station. Of course, if it weren't for the Weasley's, his parents would've just let him side-along Apparate with them, but Mrs Weasley has adamantly forbade it in her letters to the Potters.

"It's been alright. I followed Sirius's instructions and got more than nine detentions since Mum sent the Howler. I got 10 more," Harry declared proudly.

James, Sirius, and the twins looked impressed, but apparently, Lily did not share the same sentiment.

"Harry James Potter! What have I told you about getting in trouble?" Lily scolded.

"Send another Howler, Mrs Potter!" one of the twins interjected.

"Your one to Dumbledore was legendary!" the other said.

Lily smiled briefly in response to the twins' antics, then turned back to Harry. "Well?!"

"I'm sorry, Mum. I can't help it! It's just my nature. I am a Potter, after all. A Marauder's son can't exactly be a goody-two-shoes," Harry argued.

His mother rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could manage if you really put an effort in. How are your marks? Are you still doing well?"

"Top of my year," Harry answered. "Hermione's a bit frustrated seeing as I don't give a rat's arse about school, but still manage to get by just fine."

"While I am very proud of you, honey, you really should be putting in more of an effort. What happened to the study timetable we talked about? The one you promised to do?" Lily pressed.

"Oh, look! That's the Portkey, right? We should get going!" Harry quickly changed the subject. If the universe was going to force him to redo his school years, there was no way Harry was going to _study hard_ on top of the already tedious task. Seriously, first year classes just weren't meant for adults.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"HARRY! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Sirius shouted.

As Harry mumbled in annoyance about needing "five more minutes", he suddenly found himself drenched in water.

"That's what happens when you don—" Sirius began. His godfather's smugness turned into high pitched shrieking as his face became covered in boils, courtesy of Harry.

"You do realize I sleep with my wand by my bedside, right?" Harry cackled.

"Oh, you little shit!" Sirius raised his wand to curse him back, but Harry was too quick for him.

Harry smirked as he disarmed his godfather, and caught his wand. "You were saying, Padfoot?"

At that moment, Ron groggily opened his eyes. It seemed that he had somehow slept through all the commotion. "T-t-the spiders—they want me to tap dance for them! I don't know how to tap dance," he whined, looking very distressed.

XXXXXXXXXX

After Harry and Sirius both got themselves cleaned up from their morning "duel" (with James and Remus having a laugh at Sirius's expense), his family and the Weasleys baked cookies and sang Christmas carols, just as they did every year. Finally, it was time to open presents.

The adults agreed to leave the room and open their presents later. That way, the kids would have room to open all of theirs.

Harry's pile of presents was much more substantial than it had been in the previous timeline. He received a wooden flute from Hagrid, various different books on pranks and pranking supplies from the twins, Remus, Sirius, and James, Chocolate Frogs from Hermione, _Pranking With Herbology_ from Neville, a book on time management from Percy, Sugar Quills from Ron, a robe made of dragonhide from Draco, a broom servicing kit from his mum, and to top it all off, he still ended up getting a Weasley sweater, even though he was no longer an orphan.

Immediately putting the warm sweater on, Harry patiently waited for Ron, the twins, Percy, and Alaina to open his presents to them.

"Woah, Harrykins-"

"Are these-"

"What we think they are?"

"Look-"

"You also got Ronniekins one!"

"As much as we would love to have these-"

"We can't possibly accept something so expensive."

"Bloody hell! Harry, these...these are Nimbus 2000s! They cost a fortune! We can't take these!" Ron refused. "And I got you Sugar Quills for Christmas!" Ron's ears turned red with embarrassment.

"Look, guys. You guys were my first friends I've ever made that were my age, save Neville. You were all able to look past me being the 'Boy-Who-Lived', and you guys truly helped Hogwarts feel like a second home to me. This is just a way of saying 'thank you'. Besides, there's a no refund policy on those, so if you don't take them, I'll just send them to my magic-hating Muggle relatives (anonymously, of course, so they don't know they are magical brooms), and they'll use them to sweep the floor," Harry replied.

Looking absolutely horrified at the thought of world-class brooms being used as cleaning tools, the Weasleys reluctantly accepted their gifts.

"Thanks, Harrykins-" a twin began

"We really owe you one," the other twin finished.

"Harry I...I just...thank you," Ron said gratefully.

"Fred and George—promise me you'll use these to kick some Hufflepuff arse during the next match! And Ron—my dreams told me you'll be the new Gryffindor Keeper after Wood graduates, so I expect that broom to be in tip top shape when your time comes," Harry said seriously. "Gryffindor is counting on you."

"We wouldn't dream of letting you down, Harrykins," one of the twins said as the other nodded in agreement.

Ron, on the other hand, said nothing. He just looked giddy at the thought of being Gryffindor's new Keeper. Perhaps he was starting to believe in Harry's "dreams", after all. Or maybe he just believed in them when he wanted to. Harry supposed that if any of his best friends were to believe in Harry's Seer abilities, it would be Ron.

When Percy got to Harry's gift, he gasped. "Harry, is this...?"

"It's an OWL study kit, if that's what you were going to say," Harry answered.

"But...But...this isn't just any ordinary study kit!" Percy sputtered out as he jumped up and down excitedly, all dignity forgotten. "This is the Supreme OWL Preparation Kit. It includes a set of books with common questions asked, and it has magical flashcards that quiz you and turn green when you answer correctly, and red when you answer incorrectly. Oh, this is a dream come true! Thank you so much!"

The twins snickered in the background, but Percy seemed too excited about his gift to notice.

To Harry's surprise, after Percy was done examining his gift, he walked over to Harry, and embraced him tightly. Harry supposed that while he hadn't interacted any more with Percy in this timeline than the last, the interactions they had now were more genuine, with Harry doing his best to actually listen to what he had to say, rather than dismissing the boy because of his pompous attitude. Harry found that despite sometimes being annoying, Percy could be rather interesting to converse with.

"There's a second part to the gift, Perce," Harry added. "I don't know if it'll excite you as much, but I thought it could be a fun idea, and I could really use your help with it."

"This is a Hogwarts club request form," Percy stated, confused.

"I was thinking of starting a Dueling Club. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Quirrell hasn't exactly been keeping up with the DADA curriculum, so I thought it'd be a good idea," Harry explained. "Since I'm still a younger student, and we'd definitely need someone with a bit more experience to help run it, I thought of you. You're one of the most responsible people I know." Harry thought it couldn't help to do some arse kissing, in order to get Percy on board.

"You want me...to run a Duelling Club?" Percy asked, clearly intrigued.

"Yeah—I mean, ideally, I'd like to get a Professor involved as well for some of the meetings, but you're the perfect candidate for the student runner," Harry said.

"I think you're onto something good, young lad," Percy commended. "I'll help you get this club set up. Oh, this will be a great opportunity for learning and…"

Harry tuned Percy out as he went on about potential lesson plans for the club. It looked like the DA would be starting a few years earlier.

"Oh, Harry! You got me a magical dollhouse?" Alaina said excitedly.

"Yup, bought a Barbie Dream House, then enchanted it myself," Harry replied. "You like it?"

"I love it! You're the best big brother ever!" she responded as she jumped into Harry's arms.

"Isn't that—illegal?" Percy asked, looking scandalized.

"Not any more illegal than your dad's flying car," Harry shrugged. "I used the same loophole he created—as long as I don't plan to use it, it's perfectly legal to own. Besides, I never put much stock in the rules anyway."

No one bothered asking Harry how he knew about the bewitched Ford Anglia.

Percy still gave him a disapproving look, but let it go. "Well, thank you, Harry. I'm extremely grateful for the OWL study materials. If you all will excuse me, I have some exam preparation to do."

"Come on, Perce! It's Christmas! You're not allowed to study today!" one of the twins protested.

"You're the only one not wearing your Christmas sweater! Even Harry and Alaina have their sweaters on!" the other twin added.

"P for Prefect—put it on!" The twins grabbed both of Percy's arms and forced the sweater over his head.

The twins carried Percy out of the room. Though the older boy tried to look disgruntled, Harry saw him smiling slightly, obviously glad to be included.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Woah, Harry! You have a Quidditch pitch in your backyard?" Ron said in awe as everyone stepped outside.

"Yeah, Dad and Sirius put it together when I was really young," Harry answered. "Of course, Remus had to help them with a lot of it, seeing as they weren't actually patient enough to finish the whole thing themselves."

"Hey, I'll have you know that Padfoot and I did pretty much all the work. Moony just came in at the end and did the finishing touches," James protested.

"I don't recall it happening that way," Remus interjected. "I remember you two complaining about how much work it'd be to finish the pitch, even when you guys were only about a quarter of the way done. I, of course, took pity on you guys and did the rest."

"At least I did more work than James—and this is his house," Sirius said. "He spent the whole time doing tricks on his broom, while he waited for me to build the pitch!"

"We should all play!" Ron suggested, interrupting the argument.

Since they didn't have enough people to play with full teams, they decided to do four people a team, with only one Bludger. After everyone went back inside to grab their brooms (with James grabbing a few extras), Harry announced the teams. "Okay, Team One will be me as the Seeker, Sirius as the Keeper, Fred as the Beater, and Remus as the Chaser. Team Two will be Ron as the Keeper, George as the Beater, Dad as the Chaser, and Percy as the Seeker. Alaina will be the referee." Harry knew that his mother would never let Alaina play Quidditch with Bludgers (at least, not until she was older), but if Harry didn't give her something to do, she'd throw a fit.

"Hold on," Percy spoke up. "I never agreed to play!"

"Come on, Perce. Just this once, it's Christmas!" one of the twins urged (for the life of him, Harry _still_ couldn't tell them apart). "Besides, from what I recall, whenever you weren't busy putting your nose in a book, you were a decent flyer."

"Fine, I suppose I'll get involved just this once," Percy relented. "Just know that if I get injured, and this affects my OWL studying, you all are to blame."

"That's the spirit, Perce!" Harry responded sarcastically.

Sirius complained about being put in a Keeper position, because he used to play as a Beater on the Gryffindor team. Fred offered a compromise via coin toss, which Sirius lost, so he ended up stuck as a Keeper. While Harry knew that the position wasn't exactly Sirius's strong suit, when their team won the game anyway, that would prove his point to his father that the Seeker was the only essential position.

"Be careful!" Lily called out as Alaina blew her whistle to signal the start of the game.

Immediately, it was obvious that using Sirius as a Keeper and Remus as a Chaser had been a horrendous move on Harry's part. The two of them were absolutely dreadful at their jobs. Though Remus was a fair flyer, he couldn't score a goal to save his life. Meanwhile, Sirius hadn't managed to block a single Quaffle that came his way. James, on the other hand, was in his element. Forty minutes into the game, the opposing team was up 220 to nothing. Oh, if Sirius and Remus didn't up their game soon, they were screwed. Hell, they were pretty much already screwed.

Right then, Harry spotted the Snitch floating around Percy's head. Figuring that his team would lose no matter what, Harry dove for the Snitch. The older boy didn't seem to notice it until Harry started flying his way, and by then, the Snitch was already fluttering away from Percy. Harry caught up to Percy relatively quickly, and the two were neck to neck (Harry found himself quite surprised by Percy's flying ability). Eventually, Harry outflew Percy and closed his hand around the Snitch before flying to the ground, ending the game.

"Harry catches the Snitch, but Team Two still wins! The final score is 220 to 150!" Alaina announced.

James gleefully flew around in circles before landing on the ground. "Prongslet, what was it you said before about Seekers being the only players that mattered?" James smirked.

Harry, flushed, not used to being proven wrong by James. "I still stand by my claim. This was just an outlier due to having an extremely incompetent Keeper and Chaser."

"Hey!" Sirius protested. "You're the one who forced me to play my least favorite position!"

"You do realize you're just proving my point that the other players actually do matter, right?" James said smugly.

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn't think of anything to say. His father made a pretty good point, not that Harry would tell him that, obviously.

"Face it, I'm right, and you're wrong!" James sniggered.

Ignoring his overly smug father, Harry walked over to Percy. "Hey, Perce, you're pretty quick on a broom, why aren't you on the House team? You could at least be a reserve Chaser."

"Please, Harry. I have my future to think about," Percy said pontifically. "I can't be wasting my time playing a mindless game that will get me nowhere in life. Quidditch is quite useless, in the grand scope of things."

"Hey, that's offensive to all Wizarding kind! How is it you've lived in such a Quidditch-crazed household, and been Oliver Wood's roommate for the past five years, yet—you haven't developed any appreciation for the beauty of Quidditch?" Harry questioned incredulously.

"I never claimed I didn't have some appreciation for it," Percy corrected. "It just isn't particularly productive, unless you make a career out of it. Anyway, my brothers nearly made me lose all respect for Quidditch years ago when they hit a Bludger through my window while I was asleep—the twins' idea of a joke. I ended up with a couple broken bones—still have PTSD from that," Percy shuddered. "Oliver is the only reason I tolerate and somewhat value Quidditch. Though, my appreciation mostly stems from the fact that he'd curse me if I didn't."

Percy's revelation about the twins' cruel Bludger joke really made Harry stop and think. In his old life, Harry had never looked at Percy's familial estrangement from his perspective. Instead, he'd laughed along with the twins when they played pranks at their brother's expense, yet was still shocked when Percy mistrusted his word about Voldemort's return. Looking at the situation through an adult's lens, he could see that in some ways, Percy had been the victim. Of course, the twins hadn't ever meant any harm, but he could understand why their jokes had distanced Percy from his family. Now, Harry was in no way blaming the twins for what had happened to Percy, but he felt more empathy towards the boy than he'd ever had before.

"You know, Perce. As much as the twins rib you, they still love and respect you. They accept you for who you are," Harry said quietly. "They give you a hard time because you're so different from them, but deep down, they really do appreciate you."

"Thank you for your assessment, Harry," Percy said formally. "Now, since the twins are distracted at the moment, I would like to take the time to use my new OWL study kit you gifted me." Despite Percy's words of indifference, Harry could tell he was touched. Perhaps if Harry intervened in the right places, he could prevent Percy from making the biggest mistake of his life.

XXXXXXXX

The day after Christmas, Draco tiredly walked down to the dining room of the Malfoy Manor. Their family had spent the previous night entertaining a bunch of "high class" wizards, which had bored Draco to tears. He'd ended up spending the entire night squashed between Crabbe and Goyle, desperately looking for an excuse to leave the room whenever he could. It had been absolutely impossible to discuss anything with those two, because no matter what he said, he'd get unintelligible grunts, confused looks, head nods, or all of the above. Seriously, how were those poor excuses for wizards Pure-bloods, while Hermione was a Mud...Muggleborn? As much as Draco complained about her incessant nagging, he would've much rather listened to Hermione lecture him all night, because anything was more interesting than hanging out with Crabbe and Goyle. Hell, he'd take Ron Weasley over the two of them!

Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson had also been in attendance, and while they would've made for more intelligent conversation, he'd gotten the cold shoulder from the both of them all night. He'd overheard them call him a 'traitor to the Slytherin House', while he'd been eavesdropping by the staircase. Surprisingly, their comments didn't bother him as much as they should've. Nott and Parkinson had always been uppity, and even as a younger kid, Draco hadn't liked them all too much. Better to be a pariah in his House with good friends, instead of a respected Slytherin with a couple of lunks and pompous arses as friends.

Though Draco was far too egoistic to say anything to Harry, he was extremely grateful that he'd allowed Draco into his group of blood traitors and Mudbloods (he was still working on not using those words). Without Harry, he wouldn't have made so many real friends, and he would've stayed closed-minded. Now, Draco wasn't sure if he was ready to throw out the entire belief system he'd been taught from a young age, but he was beginning to recognize just how flawed it really was. By initially forcing Draco to hang out with people he likely would've bullied otherwise, Harry had given him an opportunity to know his friends for who they really were, instead of just their blood status and family name.

"Draco," his father said coolly. Draco jumped—he'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his father come in.

"Good morning, Father," Draco answered cordially. "Where's Mother?"

"Your mother has business to take care of in Diagon Alley today. She should be back soon," Father replied.

"Oh."

"I had an—interesting chat with the Notts last night. Their son Theodore claims that you've befriended a Weasley, a Mudblood, and the Longbottom boy who's no more powerful than a Squib. Is this true?" Father asked accusingly.

"Yes, Father," Draco admitted softly.

His father curled his lip. "And why—may I ask, have you chosen to associate with scum?"

Perhaps hanging out with so many Gryffindors had influenced him, because suddenly, Draco found the courage to look his father directly in the eye and stand up tall. He wasn't going to back down. "They aren't scum, they're my friends, Father. I don't think Mud...Muggleborns are anything like you always said they were. Hermione is brilliant, she's second in our year. While I'll admit that Ron Weasley can be hot-headed and idiotic, he's fun to be around. Neville might struggle with some of the practical aspects of magic, but he's damn good at Herbology. They're the first true friends I've ever had." Draco said fervently.

"You're disgracing the Malfoy name with your poor choice of company," Father snapped.

"As if being a Death Eater didn't bring enough shame on our family to last a lifetime. Imperius Curse my arse," Draco scoffed.

"How dare you use that tone with me!" Father barked, not denying the accusation. "You better straighten up, son. Or else—"

"Or else what? You'll disown me? Like Mum's parents did with Aunt Andromeda?" Draco spat out venomously, desperately trying to hold back the tears building up in his eyes.

Father didn't reply, so Draco took that as a "yes". "Glad to see where your true loyalties lie, Father," Draco sobbed as he stormed out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

" _You have failed, Harry Potter. You believed you could save your loved ones, but they've all fallen at my hands," Voldemort cackled._

 _At once, bodies began dropping to the floor. His parents, Sirius, Remus, Alaina, Tonks, Draco, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hagrid, Cedric_ — _the list went on._

_For a moment, Harry thought it was over, but then it just kept going. Everyone Harry loved was dying, and he couldn't help them._

" _Luna!" Harry screamed as she began to fall._

" _Harry, help me!" Luna reached her hand out to Harry, but for some reason, he couldn't move. It was as if his hands and legs were tied in place. He could only watch in horror as Luna's body hit the ground._

" _I was counting on you, Harry Potter. The Nargles must've warped your brain," Luna wheezed out before going limp._

" _I'm sorry," Harry sobbed. "I'm so sorry_ —"

"Harry, wake up! It's just a dream! Harry, are you all right?"

Someone was shaking him.

Harry opened his eyes, and took in his surroundings. His breathing began to slow as he remembered he was at home in Godric's Hollow. He must've fallen asleep on the couch in the sitting room while researching Healing Spells.

"Sweetie, you're okay," Lily said as she wrapped her arm around Harry, and rubbed her hand soothingly on his back.

"W-What time is it?" Harry asked groggily.

"It's two in the morning," Lily informed him. "You fell asleep down here last night while you were reading."

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry," Harry said apologetically. "You can go back to sleep now—I'll be okay."

"Sweetie, it's all right. I'm your mum, it's my job to wake up when you need me. I know you've always been independent—ever since you were a baby, but you don't have to walk this road alone. Anytime you need me, I'll be right there—you hear me?" Lily said as she kissed his temple.

Harry wrapped his arms around his mum and squeezed her tightly. "I love you, Mum," Harry choked out as he began weeping into her shoulder.

"I love you too, honey. Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Lily asked.

Shaking his head, Harry requested, "if it's not too much trouble, can you stay here with me tonight?"

"Of course, darling," she responded. His mother laid down next to him and cuddled him. In the comfort of his mother's arms, Harry dozed off peacefully.


	15. Facing Quirrelldemort

After the holidays, Harry quickly got back into the groove of school, which was still unbelievably boring. While he enjoyed being back together with all of his friends, Harry found himself wishing the professors would make the classes just a tad bit more challenging (his old self would be horrified by this desire). Things finally got a bit interesting when Wood announced the next match's referee during practice one day.

Harry and the Weasley twins had grown tired of Wood's training drills, so they began playing a game where they attempted to knock each other off their brooms, but two of them propped the fallen person back up on their broom before said person hit the ground.

"Would you three stop farcing around?!" Wood yelled, exasperated. "You blokes are going to lose Gryffindor the match! With Snape refereeing this time, he'll be looking for excuses to take points off of us!"

This revelation alarmed everyone but Harry, and the twins actually did fall off their brooms, hitting the ground hard.

"Snape's refereeing?" George said incredulously (Harry had finally found a spell to help tell them apart).

"Why?" Fred wondered.

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's definitely doing this to help Slytherin cheat their way to the Cup. He'll be biased towards Hufflepuff—just so we can't overtake his scummy House!" George exclaimed.

"Relax, guys. He's not doing this to screw Gryffindor over (though he'll probably try to, anyway), he's doing this as a favor for my mum," Harry reassured them.

"Mrs Potter is rooting against her own son?" Fred asked.

"How could your mother betray her own House? Especially with something as important as Quidditch!" Wood cried out.

"My mum would never root against me, don't be silly. Snape's doing this because he wants to make sure Quirrell doesn't attempt to murder me again. Mum, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily believe that turban-head is out to get me, but she thinks someone is out to get me. They're both doing this for my safety," Harry answered matter-of-factly.

"Why would your mum trust Snape with your life? The man hates you more than anyone in this school!" said George.

"Because Snape's been lusting after Mum for years, and even though she's never felt more than platonic feelings for him, he's still willing to do anything for her. Besides, even without her interference, he'd still do this to protect me. Also, I'm going to catch the Snitch five minutes into the match anyway, so you really don't have to worry about it," Harry stated casually.

"And you know this...how?" Wood asked skeptically.

"Oh, come on, Wood. Don't tell me you don't know me well enough to figure that out! While Mum's the one who told me about asking Snape to referee, my dreams told me the rest."

Everyone either groaned in response, or blatantly ignored him and went back to discussing how to deal with Snape as a referee. Strange. One would think that after so many correct predictions, people would have more faith in him by now. How was it that the wizarding world believed anything that Rita Skeeter wrote, but when Harry made a claim (giving out more evidence to back one claim up than Skeeter had provided in her entire career), people still doubted him?

XXXXXXXXX

The morning of the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match, Hermione, Ron, and Neville voiced their concerns for Harry's wellbeing at Breakfast. Draco, on the other hand, thought they were being ridiculous.

"Honestly, Harry, are you suicidal? You absolutely cannot play! Snape's going to try and kill you again!" Hermione scolded.

"Come on, guys! We've been over this already. Snape tried to save me from _Quirrell_ last time. And if it makes you guys feel any better, Snape actually did almost send me to my death when I was a baby (by siccing Voldemort on me), and I think he feels quite bad about that, so he definitely wouldn't do anything to harm me now. At least, he wouldn't inflict any _serious_ harm on me," Harry reassured them.

"That makes me even more worried!" Neville exclaimed.

"You have to break your leg! Do something so you can't be forced to play!" Ron suggested.

"Please, Ron. I jumped off my broom to win a match. Even if my leg was broken, I'd still play," Harry pointed out. "Besides, I've nearly mastered the Bone Healing Spell, so I'd be able to fix my broken leg up in minutes anyway."

"While I'll admit that Harry has no regard for his own safety, I think he should play the match (though I'm still rooting for Hufflepuff, because I want Slytherin to win the Cup). Snape is a strict teacher, but he wouldn't try to kill anyone. And even if was out to get Harry, I don't think he'd be dumb enough to try and do it in front of a bunch of witnesses," Draco interjected.

"I suppose there's nothing we can do short of killing you that would prevent you from playing this match, is there?" Hermione huffed out in frustration.

"Nope," Harry answered cheerfully. "Trust me, I _probably_ won't die." Of course, Harry couldn't make any promises there, seeing as one of the most powerful evil wizards was actively trying to kill him, even if he was doing it via proxy at the moment.

"Probably? You _probably_ won't die? Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Hermione said incredulously.

"Hermione—I'm Harry Potter, the kid famous for nearly being murdered as a child. Probably not dying is pretty good for someone like me," Harry reasoned as he headed down to the locker rooms to get ready for the match.

XXXXXXXXX

"Harry!" James greeted him outside the locker room. "Your mum, Sirius, and Remus are sorry they can't make it. Remus just started a new Muggle job today, Sirius is on call for the Auror Department today, and Alaina has some stomach bug, so your mum's looking after her. She's taken her Healing Potions already, so she should be back to her old self in a few hours."

"That's okay. Tell Lainie I hope she feels better," Harry replied.

"I will."

"Did you hear about the new referee?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, your mum told me she was going to ask Sniv...Snape to oversee the match," James shuddered. "Believe me, I tried to convince her to ask someone else—anyone else, but your mother insisted on using him. While I might be more mature than Sirius when dealing with the man, but I'm still not fond of him. I trust him as far as I can throw him—but don't worry, if someone tries to jinx your broom again, I did some research on Dark Magic Counter-curses over the winter holiday. You can count on me to help you."

"Honestly, if my life depended on either yours or Snape's Counter-cursing skills, I'd pick Snape to help me," Harry said bluntly.

James gasped dramatically. "You take that back right now!"

"If I denied my previous statement, I'd be lying," Harry responded.

"Just for that—I'm cheering for Hufflepuff today," James threatened.

"You wouldn't do that," Harry answered, calling his dad's bluff. "You've got way too much Gryffindor pride for that."

"Ugh, you're right, I wouldn't," James admitted. "You're the bane of my existence, kid."

"Yet your life would be dreadfully boring without me," Harry said smugly.

"Right again, Prongslet," James said. "Just—be careful out there, all right? As much as I love Quidditch, your life is more important than any game. Don't get me wrong—that dive you did last time was phenomenal, but please don't ever do that again."

"I'll do my best," Harry said honestly.

James shrugged before hugging Harry tightly. "Good enough for me. Kick some arse out there, Prongslet. Love you!"

"You know I will! Love you too!" Harry said quickly before following his team out towards the pitch.

XXXXXXXXXX

Somehow, the Quidditch game went even more smoothly than it had last time. No more than a minute into the game, the Snitch started hovering right over his head. Harry quickly reached his hand out and grabbed the Snitch, ending the match. The brevity of it felt almost—disappointing. He'd hoped he'd at least get a chance to show off some flying tricks, but whatever. At least, no one tried to murder him this time.

And it wasn't just him that was dissatisfied by the match. Tonks had apparently been made reserve Chaser for Hufflepuff, and this match was the first and possibly only one she'd get to play, but Harry's quick seeking hadn't allowed her to enjoy her moment. Harry advised her to drug and lock one of the starting Chasers in a closet shortly before the next Hufflepuff match (discreetly, of course, so no one would know who did it), so the team would have no choice but to use her. He thought it was pretty sound advice, after all, it had worked on Crabbe and Goyle back when he and Ron needed to get rid of them for a short period of time to interrogate Draco about being the Heir of Slytherin. However, he didn't exactly get a 'thank you' from Tonks. Instead, she directed a horrified stare his way before sprinting away. Weird.

Following the match, Harry had the house elves deliver a gift basket full of hair care products to Snape as a 'thank you for trying to make sure I didn't die out there', which included a large selection of greasy hair remedies. Oh, how he wished he could've been there to see Snape's reaction…

XXXXXXXXXX

All the professors were chatting amicably in the staffroom one Sunday afternoon, all except one. Severus Snape fumed silently in the corner as he sipped a goblet of pumpkin juice. Once again, it was _Potter_ that had put him in such a foul mood. Who did he think he was—sending Severus such an offensive 'gift'? Not to mention, the brat had signed the note, 'from your favourite anonymous Gryffindor Seeker'. He wasn't even trying to be discreet. And to have the audacity to put the insult in gift form? That was just evil! The wretch was even worse than his father, Lupin, and Black combined.

"Severus," Albus said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "How have you been getting along with young Harry? I've heard rumours amongst the house elves that he has sent you a gift!" Albus exclaimed, his eyes twinkling.

"He did no such thing," Severus grunted. "No, he sent me an insult disguised as a present."

"What was it that Potter gifted you, Severus?" Minerva interjected curiously.

"He sent me hair care products in a large, gold-plated basket," Severus snapped. "Over 300 of them! His note said they were to help me with my 'greasy problem'. It also included a year-long voucher to Madam Mondale's Beauty Parlor."

Minerva snorted. "I'm sure he meant well, Severus."

Severus glared at the older woman. "You know very well that he didn't!"

"Perhaps young Harry just wanted to show his gratitude towards you. If the rumours are correct, he appears to be under the impression that you refereed the last Quidditch match for his sake—and therefore feels inclined to provide you with some compensation," Albus suggested.

"Why is it that no one else can see through his 'nice boy' charade? He's a menace who has been crossing lines since he's gotten here. If he were in my House, he'd be expelled by now," Severus scoffed.

"On what grounds? For sending a sumptuous, luxurious gift to a beloved teacher?" Minerva asked, sounding amused.

"For intentionally provoking and harassing a professor," Snape replied. "Not to mention that he has most definitely sneaked around the castle after hours. How else would the boy know about the Cerberus?"

"I hardly think sending a thoughtful gift basket qualifies as harassment, Severus," Filius answered as the other professors nodded in agreement.

"As for your second point, you can hardly expel the boy when there's no proof that he went into an unauthorized area," Minerva added. "For all you know, he could've heard a rumour about it from another student, or made a lucky guess about what the forbidden corridor contains."

Severus scoffed again. "You don't actually believe that."

Minerva shrugged. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus. Besides, if I were to catch Potter outside the classroom at night, the most I would give him is detention. That's hardly something worth expelling the boy over," she pointed out.

Clearly garnering no support from his fellow colleagues, Severus stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Over the next few weeks, Hermione pestered the group over their poor study habits, or in Harry's case, his lack thereof. She drew up study timetables for the rest of the quintet, and insisted they spend all their free time in the library. One afternoon while Ron and Draco were bickering at their usual study table (Madam Pince kept shooting glares their way), the quintet spotted Hagrid shuffling through the aisles.

"Hagrid!" Harry called out. "What are you doing in the library? If my memory serves me correctly, it seems as though you've just come from the dragon section!"

"What? Dragon section? Me? O'course not!" Hagrid denied. "What're you lot up to?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Hermione's studying, I'm researching ways to use seemingly innocent charms to kill people, Neville's doing some extra herbology stuff for fun, and Draco and Ron are arguing about whether it's responsible for Dumbledore to keep Flamel's Philosopher's stone in a school," Harry explained.

"Keep yer voice down, would ya?" Hagrid hissed. " How did yeh guys find out 'bout…" Hagrid looked around anxiously, "the stone," he whispered.

"Once you told us about Flamel, it wasn't that hard to put everything together! We figured it out ages ago," Ron declared proudly.

"You say that like you had a hand in finding it out," Draco scoffed.

Ron's ears turned bright red. "It's not like you helped either! Harry and Hermione are the only people who actually did anything!"

"But unlike you, I never claimed to be one of the people who 'figured it out'. And even Hermione didn't solve the puzzle, she merely confirmed Harry's 'dreams', seeing as none of us believed him without concrete proof," Draco pointed out.

Probably not having a response to that, Ron turned away from Draco.

"Anyway, Hagrid, what are you researching about dragons for? I was under the impression that you knew a lot about them already...unless you're brushing up on your knowledge, because you're keeping a dragon egg in your hut?" Harry 'guessed'.

"How do yeh know 'bout that?"

"I had a dream about it, of course," Harry shrugged. "It's a Norweigian Ridgeback, isn't it?"

"Actually, I dunno what kind it is, that's why'm gettin' a book on identifying differn' types'a eggs," Hagrid admitted.

"So when you bought the dragon, they didn't tell you?" Neville asked.

"I didn't exactly buy it…" Hagrid confessed.

"Well, seeing as owning dragons has been illegal for centuries, I'd wager that you got it from some shady guy in a pub with less than honorable intentions," Harry said.

"As a matter a'fact, I did. Though, he was a fine fella—not a bad guy at all. Y'see, he was super interested in Cerberus's, and what d'know, I happen to have Fluffy guardin' the stone at Hogwarts. All he wanted me to do was tell'm how to calm a three-headed dog. I told him that all yeh gotta do is play some music, he falls right asleep," Hagrid answered before his face turned red. "I shouldnta told yeh that…'' he said sheepishly as he shuffled off.

"We have to follow him and see this for ourselves!" Hermione exclaimed. "If Hagrid's really got a dragon egg, that's extremely dangerous. Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shortly before the dragon egg hatched, Harry once again convinced Ron to write to Charlie to help Hagrid find Norbert a better home without getting him into trouble. When they watched the hatching, Harry pulled Ron's hand out of the way right when it looked like Norbert was about to bite (he vaguely recalled Ron getting injured by a dragon last time). So the night Charlie agreed to come, all five of them ended up bringing Norbert up to the Astronomy Tower. Harry pointed out that it would probably be easier with fewer people, and he even offered to go by himself. But alas, all of his friends insisted on coming with.

Norbert wasn't as big as he was last time (since Harry had thought of bringing the dragon to Charlie earlier), but with five people and a dragon under the cloak, their feet were visible. Hermione said they could only hope that any teacher walking by wouldn't look down long enough to notice five pairs of feet where they shouldn't be.

The plan went smoothly until they were walking down the stairs on the way back. Ron accidentally stepped on Draco's foot, and Draco retaliated by kicking his shin. Unfortunately, Draco kicked Ron a tad too hard, causing Ron to lose his balance and knock everyone over. The group of five went tumbling down the stairs, and came face to face with a smug-looking Filch at the bottom, delighted that he'd caught not one, but five rule-breaking students.

So this time instead of four first years getting detention in the Forbidden Forest, there were five of them. Hagrid sent Harry and Draco off with Fang, while Neville, Hermione, and Ron went with him.

"You know, I don't really understand Dumbledore's logic at all. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden because it's so dangerous the creatures in there could kill the students, yet—when kids misbehave, they send them there? What if the kid had gotten in trouble for being caught in the Forbidden Forest, yet their punishment was to go in there? Isn't that kind of sending us mixed signals about where we should and shouldn't go?" Harry asked.

"Don't ask me! The old coot is senile and unfit to run this school. Just wait until my father hears about this! This is preposterous!" Draco said, looking like he was trying to hide his fear.

Suddenly, Harry felt such a pain in his scar that he fell to his knees. "AHHH!" Harry yelled out.

"Harry! Are you okay—ahhhhhhhh!" Draco yelled as he looked up and saw Quirelldemort drinking unicorn blood. For a moment, Harry thought Draco was about to run off and abandon him again (Fang sure did), but to his surprise, Draco grabbed onto him tightly and buried his face into Harry's robes.

The rest of the detention went the same as it had last time, except Draco rode on Fierenez with him this time. Neville, Hermione, and Ron were convinced that Snape wanted to steal the stone for Voldemort, while Draco believed that Voldemort was working alone. What all his friends agreed on however, was that if they didn't get the stone before Voldemort, Harry would be dead very soon (Harry himself wasn't as concerned).

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Instead of going to the Forbidden Corridor at night this time around, Harry insisted on going during the afternoon, so they could get there before Quirrell. Again, Harry offered to go at it alone, but his friends seemed to think he'd get himself killed if they didn't go with. Overall, Harry wasn't too concerned. He knew enough magic to get him and his friends out of there alive, and an adventure like this would help further solidify their close bond as a group.

After unlocking the door, Harry charmed his wand to play 80's Muggle American country music. He then convinced his friends to jump through the trapdoor one by one before jumping in himself.

This time, Ron didn't have a freak-out about the Devil's Snare, because Neville had completely obliterated it almost immediately. Why hadn't they just forced Neville to come along last time instead of using Petrificus Totalus?

Draco and Harry had a Seeker contest to catch the key, which Harry won, obviously. Of course, Draco blamed the poor quality school brooms for his bad performance, and Harry then pointed out that he'd also been using a school broom. That shut the blond ferret up right away.

Right when they were about to play their way across the chess board (with Draco and Ron wasting around 20 minutes bickering about whether it was safe to play as chess pieces), a newcomer entered the room. It was Quirrell. Somehow, Harry's small changes in time had also caused Quirrell to arrive earlier...interesting...

"See?" Harry turned towards his friends with a smug expression, doing his best to avoid showing the pain Quirrell's presence was causing his scar. "I told you it was Quirrell! Now you'll have to believe my dreams!"

His friends said nothing, and instead they all stared at Quirrell in shock.

"Now—what would five first years be doing in the forbidden corridor? It's quite a dangerous place to be," Quirrell said ominously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "We're here to foil your evil plan, obviously. Or—should I say—the back of your head's plan. You do have Tom Riddle on the back of your head, don't you?"

"Who?" Quirrell looked puzzled.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle—also known as Lord Voldemort? Don't tell me you don't even know your master's name."

Some incoherent angry hissing came from Quirrell's turban. Finally, Voldemort spoke up, "let me see the boy—face to face."

After Quirrell took off his turban to reveal Voldemort, Hermione shrieked and grabbed Ron's hand, while Draco hugged Neville tightly, all of them looking absolutely terrified.

"Oh, before I forget, I should probably disarm you. _Expelliarmus!_ " Harry smirked as he caught Quirrell's wand. "Wow, look at what I've reduced you to, Riddle. Pathetic. Your host body doesn't even have a wand now," Harry laughed.

"Don't call me that, Potter!" Voldemort snarled. "I am Lord Voldemort, and you will address me as such. You may also call me the 'Dark Lord'."

"No, thanks. Calling you a 'lord' at all is just offensive to the real God, if he really exists. Besides, what's wrong with the name 'Tom Riddle', anyway? It's your birth name, isn't it? Riddle is the name of your non-magical father, right? Unless...you're ashamed that you're a 'filthy Half-blood', and you don't want your followers finding out about that...I wonder what Bellatrix Lestrange would say if she found out...perhaps she wouldn't even give you the time of day anymore..." Harry speculated.

His friends just gawked at him, most likely thinking he was nuts for talking back to fucking Voldemort.

"I do not accept that filthy Muggle as my father!" Voldemort barked. "Kill him, Quirrel! Kill them all!"

"How do I do that, my Lord?" Quirrell asked nervously. "The boy has my wand!"

"Seize them, you incompetent idiot!" Voldemort shrieked.

Taking a deep breath, Harry marched up to Quirrel and grabbed him by the face, burning him. The pain in his scar and the rest of his body caused him to scream along with Quirrell. The man was slowly disintegrating before him. As Harry's vision started going black, he heard four voices scream, " _Expelliarmus!"_ Quirrell's crumbling body was then blasted into the back wall, and it turned to ash.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry woke up in the hospital wing, and found himself surrounded by his friends and family. "Please tell me I didn't sleep through the final Quidditch match! Wood's going to kill me!" Harry groaned.

"Don't worry, Harry. You've only been out for around three hours," Draco answered. "Dumbledore told us it could've been a lot worse if we hadn't intervened with Expelliarmus when we did. Apparently, we saved you from complete Magical Exhaustion."

"The match is tomorrow," Ron reminded him. "Of course, you might have some trouble convincing Madam Pomfrey to let you play."

"Oh, Harry! When Dumbledore told me what had happened, I was so angry and worried!" Lily exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "How dare you do something so reckless?"

Alaina burst into tears, and joined their mother in squeezing him tightly. James ruffled his hair affectionately and kissed his temple.

"After her shouting match with ol' Dumbledore, I was under the impression that she was much angrier at him than you, Harry—so I wouldn't worry too much about her wrath," James chuckled. "You should've heard the way she told him off—legendary."

"Come on, Mum. You know as well as I do that because of that damn prophecy that I'll inevitably have to face off against the noseless freak multiple times," Harry reasoned. "My friends and I took down one of the most evil wizards of all time, aren't you proud?"

Lily sobbed and threw her arms around him again. "I didn't say I wasn't proud—I just wish you didn't have to get involved in something so dangerous."

"I have to say—I was a bit shocked to find out that you were right about Quirrell," Remus interjected. "Now, that's not to say I buy your 'Dream Seering', but from now on, I may give your outrageous claims more thought."

"Well, for the record—I've always had faith in Harry's Seer abilities," Sirius announced.

"That's probably because you're as crazy as he is," James pointed out.

"You say crazy, I say beyond normal human intelligence," Sirius fired back.

"Hey, who's idea was it to do a four-way Expelliarmus?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"It was Neville's idea, actually. He figured that if we all fired a disarming spell, it may be powerful enough to knock Quirrell off his feet. Of course, none of us had ever performed the spell before, so we had no idea what was going to happen," Hermione answered.

"That was brilliant, Nev," Harry smiled at his friend.

Neville blushed. "It was just a lucky guess."

"Hey, without your 'lucky guess', I probably would've been passed out for a whole week. Instead, due to your quick thinking, I'm in good enough shape to play Quidditch tomorrow," Harry replied.

"No way in hell are you leaving the Hospital Wing anytime soon!" Madam Pomfrey cut in as she walked into the room.

"Eh, I'll find a way to convince her otherwise," Harry whispered quietly enough so Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear him. "If not, I can always break out of here for the match."

"Alright, everyone OUT!" Madam Pomfrey demanded. "The patient needs his rest!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry didn't end up convincing Madam Pomfrey to let him out early for the match the next day, so five minutes before the start of the match, Harry summoned his broomstick, then flew out of an open window in the Hospital Wing (Harry had requested that she open it earlier that day, so he could 'enjoy the fresh air').

He could hear her screams as he flew towards the Quidditch pitch, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He wasn't about to let Slytherin win the Quidditch Cup, after all.

His parents, Remus, Alaina, and Sirius sat in the stands cheering for him, as they'd probably figured that true to his word, Harry would find some way of getting out there (not that his mother approved of disobeying Madam Pomfrey).

While he didn't find the Snitch as quickly as he had during the Hufflepuff match, it was still a relatively anticlimactic game. Forty minutes into the game, Harry noticed the Snitch fluttering around one of the goal posts and dove for it. Cho followed closely behind, but Harry easily got to the Snitch faster than her and caught it.

When Dumbledore presented the Gryffindor team the Quidditch Cup, Wood and McGonagall started bawling. Fred and George lifted Harry up and tossed him into the air, and the rest of the team took turns suffocating him with bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh, Harry!" Wood choked out through his sobs. "I'm so happy—I could snog you right now."

"Please don't," Harry said, shuddering at the thought. "I don't swing that way. Though—if I did, you'd definitely be my number one choice."

Hermione, Ron, and Neville excitedly ran down to the field (with Draco following them less enthusiastically), and he saw his family coming down from the parents and staff box, looking prouder than ever.

After an ecstatic Wood handed Harry the Cup and he lifted it into the air, Harry truly felt like a happy, carefree kid. In that moment, he had the world at his fingertips.

XXXXXXXXXX

Apparently, news of how the quintet had defeated Voldemort and saved the Philosopher's Stone spread quickly around the school. The school had dubbed them the 'Fantastic Five'. Harry wasn't the biggest fan of the name, as it sounded a lot like a superhero group from the comic books Dudley used to read, but it wasn't like they could be the Golden Trio with five people.

After all the trouble the Fantastic Five went through, Dumbledore still ended up destroying the stone, though Harry wondered why he didn't just hide it in a house under the Fidelius Charm, then make himself the Secret Keeper.

Shortly after winning the Quidditch Cup, Percy informed Harry that their Duelling Club had been approved for next year, and that next year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be the staff sponsor. Talk about deja vu.

When the final feast of the year came along, Harry rolled his eyes as Dumbledore granted Harry 300 points for murdering a teacher, while Ron, Draco, Neville, and Hermione got 50 points each for aiding and abetting. Neville then got an additional 50 points for vandalizing school property by destroying Professor Sprout's plant. Obviously, Harry was paraphrasing a bit, but his version was a lot more accurate than Dumbledore's, anyhow.

Draco moaned about favouritism when the Slytherin decorations changed into Gryffindor colors. "Seriously, why did he give you 300 points alone? It's like he was trying to screw everyone else over! He probably only gave me some points so the bias would be _slightly_ less obvious."

Harry found the Gryffindors' enthusiasm to be overwhelming (honestly, if Dumbledore could randomly give out a large quantity of last minute points as reward for breaking the rules and killing a teacher, the system was severely flawed), and invited Draco to ditch the feast and have one last Seeker competition before the summer holidays. The two of them had no regrets as they walked out in the middle of the feast, glad to be getting away from the obnoxious Gryffindors.


	16. The Dursleys

A few weeks into summer break, Harry realized that he'd forgotten to ask Draco to do something important for him. At first, Harry thought his friends were just a bit behind on communication, but after even Hermione failed to reply to one letter, he remembered a certain House-elf had intercepted his mail during his second year in a misguided attempt to save his life.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much Harry could do about the stolen letters. The Malfoy Manor was well protected, so it wasn't connected to the Floo Network, and they had some anti-Apparition wards in and around the house. This meant that Harry couldn't exactly stop in for a surprise visit and ask Draco to control his House-elf.

"Come on, Harry! We're going to your Aunt and Uncle's house for lunch. We're going to be late if you don't get down here soon!" Lily called up the stairs.

Harry groaned. Even though he and Dudley had made peace after the war, he couldn't exactly say he was thrilled about having to deal with the spoiled 12 year old version of his cousin for an entire afternoon. Also, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were two people he'd rather never see again, especially after the way Petunia had treated his mother at the zoo last year. But seeing as his mother was one of the most forgiving people ever (sometimes, annoyingly so), she'd insisted that the two families reconcile, and the Dursleys had reluctantly agreed.

When Harry finally made it down the stairs, his mother fussed over his hair (a lost cause, obviously), desperately trying to straighten it out so he'd look presentable for the Dursleys. After Lily finished her speech about making sure they "acted like Muggles", Harry side-along Apparated with Lily, while Alaina went with James.

Like always, the landing was a bit rough, and Alaina ended up getting sick all over Aunt Petunia's flowers in the backyard.

Lily sighed. "Tuney's not going to be happy about that."

" _Scourgify!_ " Harry said quickly. "There—good as new."

"Harry James Potter! You know you aren't allowed to do magic outside of school, especially in a Muggle area!" Lily reprimanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Come on, Mum. We're in the corner of the Dursleys' backyard behind the hedges, so it's not like any Muggles can see us back here. Plus, Dad informed the Ministry that we were going to be in a Muggle area afternoon just in case any of you have to use magic around me, they'll just assume it was one of you who did the magic, so it's not like I'm going to get in trouble. I mean, not unless _you_ report me," Harry pointed out.

"Well, it's still against the rules," Lily huffed back.

"Like that's ever stopped me," Harry replied cheekily.

Lily just smiled and shook her head. "You get more and more like your father every day."

"And I couldn't be prouder of you," James added.

The Potters then made their way to the front door, and Harry noted that the garden was arranged a bit differently this time around, most likely because Aunt Petunia no longer had a 12 year old to do it for her. Honestly, Harry thought he had better taste when it came to aesthetically pleasing designs.

Aunt Petunia greeted them at the door with Dudley beside her. She moved the corners of her mouth upward stiffly, as if she was trying to smile at them, but her eyes showed nothing but disdain.

"Hello, Aunt Petunia. I'm Alaina. It's such a pleasure to meet you," Alaina piped up as she offered her hand, following their mum's instructions to a T.

His aunt curled her lip, eyeing his sister uneasily. Finally, she took the six year old's hand. "It's lovely to meet you," she answered rigidly.

"Hi, I'm Harry. You probably remember me from the zoo, though that was probably a much more pleasant experience for me than it was for you," Harry said nonchalantly. Upon seeing his mother's glare, Harry begrudgingly added, "sorry about that," knowing he looked anything but apologetic.

The blonde, bony woman's face twisted up in response, and she huffed before turning away from Harry.

While Harry knew that the afternoon was important to his mother, he still hadn't forgiven Aunt Petunia for literally spitting in Lily's face. Now, he wouldn't go out of his way to try to make the afternoon horrible, since he didn't want to upset his mother. However, he planned to avoid Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon as much as he could, because those two were absolutely infuriating to be around.

"Thanks for having us, Tuney. It really means a lot to me," Lily said, wrapping her arms around Aunt Petunia.

Aunt Petunia looked a bit taken aback by Lily's kindness, and stood rigid as Lily embraced her.

"Petunia, what a pleasure it is to see you again," James nodded at her tersely.

"James," his aunt replied warily.

"Hello, I'm Dudley. May I take your coats, Mr and Mrs Potter, Harry, and Alaina?" Dudley asked despite the fact that none of them were wearing coats, seeing as it was summertime.

"No, thank you. Though it's very thoughtful of you to ask, Dudley. You're such a sweet, young man," Lily replied kindly.

Harry nearly snorted. During his childhood years, Dudley had been anything but sweet.

They were led into the dining room by Aunt Petunia, where Uncle Vernon sat tapping his foot nervously. From the look on his face, it was as if he was expecting them to turn him into a frog. After some more awkward pleasantries were exchanged, they had the most boring, uncomfortable conversation while they ate lunch.

"So—Vernon, I hear your business is going well. You work in drills, correct?" Lily asked.

"Yes, yes. I'm the Director at Grunnings. Matter of fact, my company just bought out a smaller one a few weeks ago, closed the deal myself. I'm expecting a promotion soon," Uncle Vernon said proudly.

"How wonderful," Lily answered politely.

"And what is it your husband does again?" Uncle Vernon asked Lily, deliberately ignoring James as if he wasn't in the room with them. Clearly, the last time those two had spoken, it hadn't gone well.

"Oh, I'm an Auror. Lily works in—ow!" James exclaimed as Lily kicked him in the shin from under the table.

"James is in law enforcement, and I work in a hospital," Lily interjected.

"Do you have a gun?" Dudley asked James curiously.

"A what?" James furrowed his eyebrows.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon glanced at each other, and Uncle Vernon shook his head. Obviously, James wasn't doing a good job of acting "normal".

"He's kidding," Harry butted in. "He mostly does administrative stuff, so he doesn't have one," he lied.

"Petunia, these Yorkshire puddings are phenomenal," Lily complimented, changing the subject.

"Thank you, Lily," Aunt Petunia responded tersely.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Dudley spoke up. "Dad! You should tell that joke you told the Wilsons yesterday. You know, the one with the small eyes and the ninth hole?"

"Oh, you mean the Japanese golfer joke!" Uncle Vernon said. "Yes, that's a wonderful idea, son."

"That sounds really racist," Harry said bluntly.

Uncle Vernon turned red, and just when it looked like he was about to blow his top off, Aunt Petunia chimed in. "Dudders, why don't you show your cousins your new toys in your second bedroom?" she suggested.

"What a fantastic idea, Aunt Petunia," Harry said enthusiastically, grateful for an excuse to get away from his aunt and uncle.

Dudley nodded in agreement and quickly shoved a cupcake in his mouth before leading Harry and his sister up the stairs.

When he walked into the room that had once been his bedroom, Harry felt a bit sick to his stomach, as he didn't exactly have pleasant memories of the room (though it was better than the cupboard, obviously).

"What's that?" Alaina wondered, pointing to the television.

"You don't know what a telly is?" Dudley asked, looking shocked.

Alaina shook her head. "Not really, I think I've heard of it before, though. Harry friend, Ron, said his Dad used one at work before. We don't have any Muggle stuff at our house, because some of it can interfere with mag—whoops, Mum said I'm not supposed to say anything about that."

Harry shrugged. "Eh, it's alright. Dudley's family. Besides, his parents already know, so I don't see why it's a big deal if we tell him. Though I'm sure Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia might not be happy if they find out we told him."

"Tell me what?" Dudley inquired.

"We're wizards and witches," Harry answered candidly. "Surprise!"

"You mean—like magical wizards and witches?" Dudley asked again.

"Yep," Harry replied.

"But—there's no such thing as magic. That only happens in movies," Dudley protested.

"How do you think I made the glass disappear at the zoo last year?" Harry countered.

"That was you?" Dudley's eyes widened.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It was an accident," Harry lied.

"Prove it," Dudley demanded, looking curious rather than fearful. Perhaps this time around without a wizard in their household, the Dursleys had no reason to instill a fear of magic into their son. Plus, it probably helped that Hagrid hadn't put a pig tail on his arse in this timeline. While Harry had found it amusing at the time, he could now see that Hagrid's actions had been extremely unethical, especially since he left the Dursleys to get the pig tail removed on their own. In hindsight, Hagrid should've at least undid the pig tail before leaving, as going to a plastic surgeon to get a pig tail removed would definitely raise some eyebrows. Besides, as horrible as Dudley had been as a child, he honestly didn't deserve to have a tail transfigured onto his buttocks, or turned into a pig, like Hagrid had originally intended to do.

Harry pointed his wand at a broken Spider-man action figure and said, " _Reparo!"_ Instantly, the blue and red pieces of plastic moved back together, and the toy was good as new.

"Wow," Dudley exclaimed, looking impressed. "You _are_ a wizard. Can you fix my Nintendo Game Boy?"

Assuming it was some sort of game console (obviously, the Dursleys hadn't ever let him play video games growing up), Harry shook his head. "Sorry, Muggle technology interferes with magic."

"Muggle? That's the second time you two have said that word. What's that?" Dudley asked suspiciously, probably unsure if it was an insult.

"It's just a word wizards use to describe non-magical folks," Harry replied.

"Oh. Why are we called Muggles? That's a weird name," Dudley said.

"I have no clue," Harry said honestly. "In America, they call non-magical people Nomajes."

"Really?" Alaina chimed in. "How do you know?"

"I had a dream about it," Harry responded automatically.

"So—can I learn magic too?" Dudley asked excitedly.

"Sorry, Dud. It's genetic. You either have magic or you don't," Harry said. "But I can show you all kinds of cool spells whenever our families get together. Just—don't tell your parents I told you about this. They probably won't let us see each other if they know I'm doing magic while we're together. They're not the biggest fans of magic—that's why Mum and Aunt Petunia had a falling out."

"Why don't they like it?" Dudley asked. "And if Mummy and Daddy knew about magic, then how come they never told me?"

"I think people are often scared of things they don't know much about," Harry said diplomatically. "Your parents were probably trying to protect you, so don't be mad at them. This can be our little secret."

Dudley looked like he was pondering what Harry had said for a moment. Finally, he agreed. "Okay," he shrugged. "Can you do magic?" he asked Alaina.

"Not yet," Alaina admitted. "I have to wait until I'm 11. Then I can go to Hogwarts."

"What are you going on about?" Dudley tilted his head quizzically.

"Hogwarts—it is a magical school," Harry answered.

"So you just learn magic there—you don't have to take maths, English, science, or history?"

"I mean, you can take Arithmancy as an elective third year, but that's more about the magical properties of numbers rather than algebra and geometry. And we learn about the history of magic instead of Muggle history. You'd be surprised by how many wizard children haven't heard of the Holocaust and World War Two," Harry informed him.

"The what?" Alaina asked.

"My point exactly."

"But—that's not fair," Dudley whined. "I have to go to Smeltings—it's _so_ boring. I wish I could go to Dogwarts."

"Hogwarts," Alaina corrected.

After grilling Harry and Alaina with questions about the Wizarding World, Dudley excitedly asked Harry to perform some spells, watching in awe as Harry made the seemingly impossible happen. Right when Harry was about to demonstrate the Levitation Charm, Dobby appeared in the room with a _POP!_

Dudley screamed and tried to hide behind Harry, though seeing as he was three times as wide as Harry, it didn't work too well. "What is that ugly thing?" he shrieked.

"Shhhh," Harry whispered. "He's an old friend of mine; he's harmless. Well—mostly...he means well, anyway."

Dudley eyed Dobby wearily but nodded.

"Diddykins? Is something wrong?" Aunt Petunia called up the stairs.

"N-No! Everything's fine! We were just playing a video game and we got a bit too excited!" Dudley lied nervously.

"Hello, Dobby. Why are you here so early? My dreams told me you wouldn't be coming until the 31st of July," Harry said curiously.

"How is the great Harry Potter knowing of Dobby's name?" Dobby wondered.

"Like I said before, I had a dream you'd be coming. I'm a Dream Seer," Harry answered.

"Yes, yes, of course. Dobby has heard all about your Seer abilities from Master Draco," Dobby replied.

"Draco talks about me?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Master Draco says wonderful things about the great Harry Potter. And even before he knew Harry Potter, he used to dream about meeting Harry Potter. Master Draco used to hang a Harry Potter poster above his bed," Dobby said.

Well—that was news to Harry. But now that he thought about it, it made sense. After all, in the previous timeline, Dobby had said he'd heard a lot about Harry, yet he rarely left the Malfoy Manor, so it must've been Draco who told him so much about Harry. It seemed that whether Draco liked or hated him, he blabbed on about Harry in every timeline.

"So—what can I do for you, Dobby?" Harry asked.

"W-What can the great Harry Potter do for Dobby? Oh—yous is too kind, sir! Never has a wizard ever asked if they could do something for Dobby—like...like an equal!" Dobby started sobbing loudly.

"Shhh...Dobby, it's okay," Harry said quietly. "Why don't you start by filling me in on your reason for being here?"

"Oh, sir. Let Dobby begin by telling yous that Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby was only trying to protect Harry Potter. But...when Master Draco hadn't heard from Harry Potter, Master Draco got worried. Master Draco tried to send Dobby to check on Harry Potter, but then Master Draco found...these," Dobby said sheepishly, taking a stack of letters out of the dirty pillowcase he was wearing.

"You've been stopping Harry's letters, why?" Alaina asked.

"Dobby thought if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten about him, and Harry Potter's friends in turn thought Harry Potter had forgotten about them, then Harry Potter wouldn't want to go back to school, sir. Master Draco ordered Dobby to come here and return Harry Potter's letters. Oh, great sir, please forgive Dobby," Dobby wailed, letting out an ear-splitting yelp.

"Look, Dobby. I'm not angry at you; I know you meant well. But if you've come to warn me about Lucius's diary, I'm already aware of his plot to sic a Basilisk on the students of Hogwarts. I know you want to keep me safe, but Hogwarts is safer if I'm there to stop the attacks," Harry said. "And if your plan is to use magic here and get me expelled, just know that the Ministry has already been informed that adult wizards are in the area this afternoon, so they'll assume the magic was performed by my parents."

Dobby's big tennis ball eyes stared at him in awe. "The great Harry Potter is even better than Master Draco said. Harry Potter is so gracious and so brave," Dobby cried, wiping his tears on his pillowcase.

"Just so we're clear—you're not going to keep making plans to prevent me from going to Hogwarts, are you?" Harry asked.

"Dobby cannot lie to someone as great as Harry Potter, so Dobby will honestly say that he cannot make a promise like that to Harry Potter. If Dobby wants to keep Harry Potter safe, he has to try his best to stop Harry Potter from returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Thank you for your candor, Dobby. Now, I wish you could stay longer, but I can hear Aunt Petunia's footsteps coming up the stairs, so I'm afraid you're going to have to go for now. It was really great to see you, Dobby," Harry said sincerely. "You're a good friend."

"F-F-Friend?" Dobby stammered, looking like he was seconds away from having yet another loud, emotional breakdown.

"Yes, of course. You're incredible, Dobby, don't you forget that," Harry said fervently, picking Dobby up and hugging him tightly. "Again, I really wish we could talk some more, but Aunt Petunia is seconds away from opening the door now. Feel free to visit me anytime you can—as long as it doesn't go against the Malfoys' orders. I don't want you to have to punish yourself for me."

Dobby sobbed again and thanked him for being "great", then Apparated out of the room.

Aunt Petunia stormed into the room a mere second after Dobby left. "What is going on in here? What was all that noise? It sounded like someone was having a fit," she said dubiously, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Aunt Petunia. Dudley was just showing us his favorite program on the telly, and we turned it up a bit too loud," Harry lied.

"The television isn't on," Aunt Petunia pointed out.

"Uh…" Harry began awkwardly.


	17. Summer Shenanigans

_Previously…_

_Aunt Petunia stormed into the room a mere second after Dobby left. "What is going on in here? What was all that noise?"_

" _Sorry, Aunt Petunia. Dudley was showing me some of his favorite programs on the telly, and we turned it up a bit too loud," Harry lied._

" _The television isn't on," Aunt Petunia pointed out._

" _Uh…" Harry began awkwardly._

Before Harry could spout out a cock and bull lie, Alaina butted in.

"Don't worry, we weren't doing any magic," she piped up unhelpfully.

Harry chuckled nervously. "What she means by that is-"

"We were talking to the Muggle tellybox," she continued. "We made a call to Dudley's friend named 'Program'."

Harry had to curb his urge to bang his head against the wall. Sometimes, he forgot just how clueless wizard children could be when it came to Muggles. Clearly, with her limited knowledge of Muggle technology, Alaina had gotten the telephone mixed up with the television. Not that he could blame her, of course, seeing as Ron had probably gotten them mixed up first, then misinformed Alaina.

Aunt Petunia's face went pale, and her left eyebrow began twitching uncontrollably. "Is this true, Diddykins?" she said overly sweetly, most likely not wanting Dudley to think she was angry with him.

"Y-Y-Yes, Mum," Dudley lied uncomfortably. "Just...watching telly, no magi—nothing inappropriate."

"You _freaks_ encouraged my son to lie to me?" Aunt Petunia raged. "My Diddykins is a good boy, and one night in, you're already ruining him!" she shrieked. "Not to mention that you were most definitely doing freaky things!"

"Aunt Petunia, if I could just explain-" Harry began.

"I knew I should've ignored my freak of a sister! She produced horrible children, and you're destroying my sweet boy! I heard crying up here! You two were doing some freaky tricks to hurt my baby boy, and I won't allow it!" Aunt Petunia screeched.

Dudley began whimpering, clearly not used to Aunt Petunia losing her temper around him. "I...I'm sorry, Mum. I-"

Aunt Petunia's face softened. "Oh, I don't blame you, Dudley! You're perfect. Why don't you go to your main bedroom and relax while I get them sorted out," she said calmly before turning back to Harry and Alaina. "It's these _freaks_ that need to go!" Aunt Petunia hollered.

Probably not wanting to push his mother any farther over the edge, Dudley skittered out of the room sheepishly, leaving Harry and Alaina to deal with the aftermath.

Uncle Vernon, Lily, and James came bustling into the room at that moment. With how loud Petunia had been shouting, they'd definitely heard everything.

"What—the—bloody—hell—did—you—filthy—freaky—children—do—to—my—wife— and—son!" Vernon said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, don't you dare call my kids that!" James spat out, glowering at Uncle Vernon.

"Tuney, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Harry and Alaina would never do anything to hurt Dudley. I'm begging you, Tuney, give them a chance to explain themselves," Lily pleaded.

"Oh, I've given you and your freakiness too many chances already! I never want to see you again!" Petunia howled. "YOU AND YOUR FREAKY FAMILY NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE AND _NEVER_ COME BACK!"

"I'm so sorry, Tuney," Lily said tearfully as she gently began guiding Harry and Alaina out the door. Harry saw James shoot Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia one final glare before trailing after them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Around half an hour after the Potters Apparated home, Harry's mum's face was still red and blotchy, but she finally wasn't shedding anymore tears.

James consoled Lily, putting his arm around her, while Harry sat across from his parents, feeling guilty for making his mother cry.

Alaina was fast asleep upstairs, as she'd been given some Sleeping Draught as soon as she'd gotten home (Lily didn't want her young daughter seeing her in such a dejected state).

"Did you do it?" Lily asked finally. "Did you perform magic in front of your cousin? Were you hexing him up there? Because your Aunt Petunia was right, it sounded like someone was crying up there."

"Yes, but I wasn't-"

"I suppose you think it's funny to play tricks on your cousin—because he's a Muggle and doesn't know about magic?!" Lily fumed. "HOW DARE YOU?!"

"I never said that!" Harry yelled.

"Now, come on, why don't we all just settle down," James intervened, tentatively putting his hands in the air in a calming gesture.

Unfortunately, Harry's blood was already boiling, and for the first time in 11 years, he lost his temper with his mother. "IF YOU EVEN BOTHERED LISTENING TO ME FOR A SECOND, LIKE YOU SUGGESTED AT AUNT PETUNIA'S, YOU'D KNOW THAT I WOULD NEVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE A MUGGLE. I WOULD ALSO NEVER HEX SOMEONE JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT—LIKE DAD USED TO DO TO SNAPE! I DIDN'T HANG HIM UPSIDE DOWN WHILE TAKING HIS TROUSERS OFF—IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING!"

"Harry, that was uncalled for," James butted in. "Though I'll admit I was a huge prat during my school days. But—that's not the point—we're getting off track here. Why don't we all just take a deep breath and talk this out."

Harry heeded his father's advice, not wanting to say something he'd regret later. He noticed that his mother was doing the same thing.

"Mum, I promise you I wasn't hexing Dudley. It's just—the topic of magic came up, and since he didn't seem to find it repugnant, I thought it couldn't hurt to show him a few spells—he's family, after all. All I did was repair one of his toys and summon a few things, that's it—I swear. We were having fun—bonding," Harry said honestly.

Lily reached across the table and gently grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry for not listening to you earlier. It's not an excuse, but Tuney and I have had a rough relationship for a long time—and I was naive enough to think that one night could fix years of resentment."

"It's okay, Mum. I get it," Harry replied. "She's your sister—you're always going to love her." Harry reached across the table and grabbed his mum's hand. "And I know I wasn't supposed to be using magic in the first place, and I'm sorry about that—I promise—I never meant for everything to go to shite the way it did. And I'm sorry for yelling at you—you didn't deserve that."

"I'm sorry for yelling too," Lily said as she walked over to Harry's side of the table and wrapped her arms around him. "But just know that you're still grounded for using unsupervised underage magic in a Muggle area. You'll be de-gnoming the garden daily and scrubbing the entire house without magic. Also, no flying for three weeks."

Harry shrugged. "I suppose that's fair. Though—the no flying part is a bit brutal."

Lily kissed his temple and said, "I love you, sweetie. And I'm sorry for making assumptions rather than listening to you."

"I love you too. And again, I'm really sorry that tonight ended badly, I know how important it was to you—I shouldn't have taken any chances by using magic—even innocent spells," Harry responded sincerely.

"Just out of curiosity, Prongslet," James chimed in. "What was causing the crying noises up there if it wasn't you kids?"

"Oh—right, I probably should've explained that part too. The Malfoys' House-elf is under the impression that I'm going to be in danger if I return to Hogwarts—which is probably true, since child endangerment really doesn't seem to be a concern to Dumbledore. I mean, look what happened last year—the Defense professor was possessed by Voldemort, there was a Cerberus at Hogwarts, and I nearly got killed countless times."

"Let me get this straight—a House-elf that's owned by your friend—came to talk to you about the safety of Hogwarts?" James asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, basically. He's trying to save my life, and his plan apparently involves charming a Bludger against me to knock me out, as well as blocking the Platform barrier so I'll crash and get a concussion. Also, he's been stealing my mail all summer to make me think my friends forgot about me," Harry clarified.

"So—you're telling me a House-elf is trying to save you by nearly killing you in the process? And also potentially wrecking your emotional state by cutting off social interactions with your friends?" James said skeptically.

"Hey, I didn't say he had a good plan, I was just explaining what his plan was," Harry answered.

"Assuming that you're not completely bullshitting me here—and this isn't a prank, then how does that explain the loud whining sounds coming from upstairs?" James questioned again.

"He started crying because I was nice to him. Lucius Malfoy is probably a shitty master, after all, so he isn't used to being treated with basic respect. He's a bit off his rocker, but he's a good friend. Once I free him, I'll definitely hire him to do my chores around here," said Harry.

"Hire him? As in pay him? You do realize that you'll probably insult him if you do that. House-elves don't really take kindly to monetary compensation—I should know—I tried to pay the House-elves back when I was growing up in the Potter Manor. Poor little Stimpy had a mental breakdown at the thought of it," James replied.

"Like I said, Dobby's different...you'll see what I mean once you meet him. I should probably give him a free membership for my fan club once he's free—he'll love that," Harry said thoughtfully. "After all, my dreams tell me that one day, he'll risk his life to save me—only to be stabbed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Of course, I'll be damned if I let that vision come true."

"So this House-elf that's trying to kill and save you at the same time might possibly be personally killed by Sirius's deranged cousin sometime in the future—but you're going to try and stop it somehow?" James looked at him sideways, clearly not taking him seriously.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Harry replied. "Honestly, why do I feel like people are always questioning the things I say?"

"Probably because everything that comes out of your mouth makes little to no sense," James said honestly.

"Just because something doesn't make sense, doesn't mean it isn't true," Harry retorted.

" _See_? People are constantly doubting you—because you say stuff like that _all the time_!" James pointed out.

"I don't know what you mean by that, Dad," Harry answered innocently.

"Of course you wouldn't," James rolled his eyes. "I love you, son, but besides Sirius, you're the strangest person I've ever known."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry said cheerfully. "Love you too."

XXXXXXXXXX

Right when Harry had just changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed, he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Hey, Prongslet, can I talk to you?" James asked.

"Yeah, of course, come in," Harry answered, wondering what his dad wanted to talk about.

James looked downward as he walked in, fiddling his hands nervously. Harry shifted to the other side of the bed, making room for his father to lie down beside him.

"Look, Harry—what you said earlier about Snape—I don't know what Sirius has told you about our school days together, and I know we (Sirius especially) sometimes joke about him when your mum isn't around…" James took a deep breath.

"Dad, I was being stupid when I said that, you don't have to-"

James cut him off, continuing on anyway. "Us Marauders, especially me and Sirius, could be really cruel to Slytherins we didn't like. It wasn't fair, and I regret a lot of the stuff I did. Not the good-natured pranks, mind you, but the unsolicited harassment of people like Snape? Yeah, we shouldn't have done that. I know you're already a far better person than I'll ever be—and you'd never do the stupid shite I did, I just, I want you to know that I'm not proud of it. I'm not that person anymore."

"I know," Harry replied, grabbing his father's hand reassuringly. "Mum wouldn't have married you if you hadn't deflated your head at least _somewhat_. I mean, from what I saw, she found you absolutely obnoxious during fifth year."

"What do you mean by what you saw?" James tilted his head.

 _Whoops._ "Uh...I was sneaking around the castle last year, and I sort of ended up in Snape's room. Don't worry, he didn't catch me or anything. Anyway, I don't know why I did it, I was just overly curious, I think…"

"Did what?" James inquired curiously.

"I stuck my head inside Snape's Pensieve. I saw an old, personal, unpleasant memory of his...the Marauders were involved," Harry admitted.

"What happened in the memory?" James asked hesitantly. "I know you mentioned something about Snape being upside down," James added, shamefully looking down.

While Harry had been perturbed by his father's behavior when he'd first seen Snape's worst memory, he'd had around 16 years to accept that his father was a flawed human, rather than the saintly hero many adults made him out to be. And regardless of what his dad had been like in the past, Harry now had the luxury of knowing the brilliant man he was today, and nothing would make him stop loving his father.

"It's not important," Harry responded dismissively. "I know you aren't that guy anymore, and dwelling on the past doesn't do anyone any good." _Unless you actually get thrown back into the past…_

"It doesn't make what we did any better—I haven't always been a good person, Harry, but I'm trying to be better," James said earnestly.

Harry looked his dad in the eye. "Just the fact that you're willing to admit to your past shortcomings and acknowledge your culpabilities—shows your growth. After all, abnegation of responsibility is what causes chaos, and you're clearly not doing that anymore. Maybe you were an idiot back then—so what? It's who you are now that matters."

James smiled at him and affectionately ruffled Harry's hair. "You got the best of your mum and me, kid."

"I know," Harry stated with a grin. "Mum calls me the better version of you."

"Oh, if that weren't true, I would be offended," said James, wrapping his arm around Harry and kissing the top of his head. "I love you, Prongslet."

"Love you, Dad," Harry replied, hugging him back.

The two of them then exchanged more lighthearted stories about their times at Hogwarts, with James filling Harry in on the Marauders' grandest pranks. Eventually, the two of them fell asleep, arms still wrapped around one another.

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry smiled as the gentle summer zephyr whisked his jet black hair back comfortably. It was the quintessential day for Quidditch—the sun was out, but part of it was still hidden behind the clouds, preventing extreme heat. Even better, it happened to be his birthday today, and his friends and family were all at the Potter house, eager to start a game of Quidditch (most of them, anyway).

All but the two oldest Weasley children were in attendance, along with Neville, Draco, Hermione, Tonks, Andromeda, James, Lily, Alaina, Sirius and Remus. Obviously, some of them were more excited about the Quidditch match than the others.

"All right—here are the teams," Harry announced. "On the first team, the Beaters will be Fred and George, Dad, Percy, and Remus will be Chasers, Ron will be the Keeper, and I'll be the Seeker."

"What? That's an unfairly stacked team!" Sirius protested.

"Are you insinuating that everyone whose name wasn't called—including yourself, isn't good enough to take us on?" Harry asked.

"No, of course not!" Sirius fired back defensively. "Continue—what positions will the other team be playing? If you make me a Keeper again, I will disown you as my godson."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, even though you're on the opposing team, I'd still get secondhand embarrassment from watching you colossally fail to block a single goal if—I made you a Keeper again." He shivered at the thought. "I'll make you a Beater for the sake of my sanity."

"Hey!" Sirius protested. "It's harder than it looks!"

"Yeah, sure," Harry said doubtfully. " _Or_ —maybe you just suck," he added cheekily.

Sirius glared at him. "You're such a little shit."

"I know," Harry grinned. "Anyway—back to business. The other team will have Draco as a Seeker, Ginny, Tonks, and Alaina as Chasers, and Andy, I know you used to be the reserve Beater for Slytherin, so be one of them, and Sirius will be the other. Since we need one more player, and Neville and Hermione have made it very clear that they won't be playing, why don't you be the Keeper, Mum?"

Lily looked less than thrilled at the idea. "I don't know, honey."

"Come on, Lils. You even agreed to let Alaina play today!" James said. "I taught you some basic flying over the years—you'll be great. Also, I think you look sexy on a broom," James said, wagging his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

"James! That's inappropriate to say in front of children!" Lily exclaimed, slapping James's arm as she blushed furiously.

"What do you say, darling?" James wrapped his arms around Lily, moving his hands downward until Lily smacked them away.

"What did I tell you about lude behavior? If you stop touching me like that in front of an audience, I'll play!" Lily relented.

"Well—a man can hardly control his agastopia. You're an extremely beautiful, callipygian woman, Lils," James smirked.

"Do you want me to play or not?" Lily asked, looking exasperated by James's antics.

"Okay, I'll stop. But—I'll be expecting something...more...tonight," James said seductively.

"James! Shut up—or I swear to Merlin that I'll put a long-lasting curse on you," Lily growled.

James put his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. Sorry, love."

After the Weasleys, Tonks, and Andromeda Flooed back home to get their brooms (except Ginny, who didn't want Molly knowing that she was going to be flying, so she just borrowed one of James's spare brooms), they started the match.

Neville enthusiastically did the commentary, probably glad that he hadn't been coerced into participating in the match.

"And Ginny Weasley of the second team is in possession of the Quaffle. Wow—she's a natural on a broomstick! It looks like she might make her shot—wait, never mind, Mr Potter has taken it. Now, the question is—will he make a goal? Though Mrs Potter has made a good attempt at blocking his shot, Mr Potter has scored. TEN POINTS TO TEAM ONE!"

Draco and Harry watched themselves and their surroundings intensely, both looking for any sign of the Snitch, when suddenly, a Bludger came charging his way, courtesy of Sirius.

Harry quickly dived, narrowly avoiding it. "What the fuck, Sirius? You do realize how pointless targeting the Seeker is this early in the game—not to mention unethical, as well?!" he exclaimed.

Sirius maturely stuck his tongue out at Harry. "It's called payback!"

"For what?" Harry inquired, annoyed.

"Obviously, it's for forcing me to play as a Keeper during the last match. Now you know what kind of player I am when I'm playing my best position," Sirius explained.

"What? A player with a shitty attitude? I don't know if that's something you should be proud of, Padfoot," Harry retorted as Sirius hit another Bludger his way.

Harry swerved to avoid it again, then eloquently did a few loops in the sky.

"Training for the ballet, Harry?" Draco teased, not noticing the Snitch fluttering around his ear. It seemed as though Sirius's antics had worked against him, as he'd distracted his team's Seeker.

Ignoring Draco, Harry dove for the Snitch, and Draco soon followed him. The two of them were neck to neck, and Harry reached his hand out—the Snitch was just inches away…

At that moment, another Bludger came flying towards him. He didn't even have to look back to know that Sirius was the culprit.

"Oh, come on!" Harry yelled. "That's dirty!"

But complaining about it didn't help—the Snitch was gone.

"—Looks like neither Harry nor Draco have caught the Snitch, thanks to Mr Black," Neville announced. "Tonks passes the Quaffle to Alaina, who then passes the Quaffle to Ginny—and—SHE SCORES!"

It wasn't until about an hour later that Harry saw the Snitch again. Unfortunately, Draco had spotted it seconds before him and was already closer. Harry thrusted his broom forward, putting all his weight at the end of the broom to increase his speed. Finally, he was on the same level as Draco. The Snitch was so close, but Harry wasn't so sure that he could reach it before Draco.

The two of them reached for the Snitch at the same time, but Harry's fingers closed around it just before Draco's.

"I've got the Snitch!" Harry declared proudly.

"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Team Two wins 250 to 150!" Neville announced. "Game over!"

Everyone flew to the ground and began walking inside, desperate for food after all the flying.

"Ginny," Ron said as he made his way into the kitchen. "You've never even flown before. How did you fly like that out there? You were better—well, not better, but maybe just as good as me!"

"Ronniekins—" Fred began.

"Our little sister—" George added.

"Does fly better than you," Fred finished, offering Ginny a high-five.

Ginny giggled as she reached for Fred's hand proudly.

"Shut up," Ron muttered, ears red as a tomato.

"Ginevra has been sneaking out to fly at home since she could walk," Percy chimed in matter-of-factly.

"What? Are you serious? How would you know?" Ron asked curiously.

"I've seen her through my bedroom window far too many times to count," Percy rolled his eyes. "She's even nicked Snitches and Quaffles to practice being a Seeker and Chaser. Honestly, it's sad that the rest of you are so unobservant that you haven't noticed."

"May we ask—"

"Why a goody-two-shoes—"

"Like yourself—"

"Never snitched—no pun intended, of course—"

"To our mother?"

"Well, since Ginvera was never technically breaking any rules, I didn't see any reason to tell Mother. After all, Mother said she could play outside, but never specifically forbade her from using a broom. I think Mother just assumed that she wouldn't be interested in flying because she's a girl, so she never even bothered making a rule against it for Ginny," Percy elucidated.

"Wow, Perce—"

"You might actually be our brother—"

"After all."

"We didn't know that you could sometimes—"

"Not have a stick up your arse."

Percy blushed. "While I'm not a huge fan of backhanded compliments, I believe you two mean well, so I'll say thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Severus Snape trudged towards the Potters' front door. Lily had offered him her help with a new potion he was developing, but unfortunately, she'd asked him to meet at her house to pick up the versions that she'd brewed, and he couldn't come up with an excuse to get out of coming over. He could only hope that Lily was the only one home, because he was not in the mood to deal with any other Potters, Black, or Lupin.

But luck was not on Severus's side. Not only were all the Potters home, but both Black and Lupin were also present.

The agelast waited impatiently, nervously sipping some tea Lily had offered him before going upstairs to retrieve the potions. The three Marauders stood in the corner, looking just as uncomfortable as Severus felt, and the two devil's children sat across from him, grinning in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

"Here you go, Severus," Lily said as she entered the room, handing Severus a few vials of potions.

"Thank you, Lily," Severus belted out opera style, high pitched with extended vibrato.

_What the hell? Why am I singing? Unless...the Potter spawn! Of course! No wonder they were smiling at me ominously!_

Everyone but Lily doubled over with laughter. "Nice singing, Snivellus!" Black cackled.

Lily approached Black menacingly. "If this was your doing, Sirius, I swear to Merlin that it will be the last prank you will _ever_ pull."

Black backed away, clearly frightened by Lily. "As much as I would love to take credit for this brilliant work of art, I'm afraid I wasn't the mastermind behind this."

Seeming to accept his innocence, Lily turned to her husband. "James! If Sirius isn't the culprit, it has to be you!"

"I'll have you know that I haven't pranked Sniv...Severus since my Hogwarts days, I'm past all that now," James Potter replied, sounding surprisingly sincere.

"It was Harry's idea!" the Potter girl piped up, pointing her finger at her brother.

"Hey, no one likes a snitch, Lainie," her brother teased. "And if I remember correctly, you're the one that put the Opera Powder in Snape's tea."

"It's _Professor_ Snape, Potter!" Severus responded automatically, sneering at the boy. Unfortunately, since he was still singing everything he said, his words didn't quite have the effect he was going for.

The room filled with laughter again. Severus just scowled in response, knowing that anything he spoke would be sung, leading to further humiliation.

"Undo this now, Harry!" Lily demanded shrilly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Mum, no can do. The box says that nothing can reverse it, however—it should wear off in around two to three hours," Harry admitted sheepishly.

"Fine—I guess I should've known better than to think you'd do something easily reversible...we'll discuss your punishment later, young man," Lily snapped before looking at Severus with her beautiful green eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sev. Next time, I'll come to your place—I know my family isn't exactly easy to deal with."

Severus felt all his anger wash away when he looked into Lily's eyes. "It's alright, Lily," he intoned back, this time singing an arpeggio. He internally kicked himself for speaking again.

"Why don't I walk you out?" Lily offered.

Severus nodded, and the two of them headed to the door. To his dismay, he noticed her son following close behind. He could only hope the boy wasn't planning some other nefarious scheme.

"By the way, Sev. Your hair looks amazing! Did you do something new with it?" Lily asked.

"I may have tried out a few new hair products that I was gifted," Severus admitted, cringing at the sound of his own singing voice again.

There was a snort that came from behind them. Shit, he'd momentarily forgotten that the Potter boy was there, and he'd practically admitted to using the gift basket the boy had sent him last semester.

"I'm glad you put my gift basket into good use," the boy said, smiling smugly.

Severus glowered at him. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he warbled.

"Really? I thought I made it pretty obvious the package was from me, but maybe your deductive reasoning skills aren't as great as I assumed they were," Potter answered nonchalantly.

"You sent Severus a gift last semester? How thoughtful!" Lily exclaimed, looking fondly at her son. "However—you're still in big trouble for what you did today."

"I also bought you another gift at Diagon Alley earlier this summer," Potter informed him. "I was going to give it to you once school started, but since you're here, I thought I'd present it to you now." Potter handed him a neatly wrapped present with an intricately tied bow on top.

Lily insisted on testing the present for any jinxes, obviously not completely trusting her devil child. After the gift was cleared by Lily, she handed it to Severus, and he took it reluctantly, not wanting to offend Lily.

When he finally made it back to his home in Spinner's End, Severus carefully began opening the package, keeping his wand out just in case it exploded. After all, as much as it pained him to admit, Potter was a rather talented young boy, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that he'd learned some curse Lily hadn't heard of. Luckily, nothing hexed him upon opening the gift.

Teeth straightening and cleaning products—the Potter boy had yet again managed to hide an insult under the guise of a kind gesture, with no one but Severus seeing his true colors. He had half a mind to throw the gift in the trash, but on second thought, he decided that he might as well keep it. There was no point in wasting expensive products, and Potter's other gift _had_ helped him with his greasy hair, so the teeth cleaning and straightening kit would probably help as well…

XXXXXXXX

Harry made his way down to the kitchen at the Burrow. Mrs Weasley had generously invited him to stay with them for the rest of the summer, and Harry was more than glad to be back in his second home.

It seemed as though Ginny was the only Weasley child awake so far, as she quietly sat across her parents at the breakfast table, buttering her toast. She was still in her pajamas, and she wore fuzzy pink slippers.

"Oh, Harry! Good morning, honey!" Mrs Weasley got up and hugged him tightly. "Help yourself to anything on the table. Ginny, sweetie, go wake up your brothers. It's already past ten! Even Percy isn't awake yet—and he went to bed extra early last night!"

Ginny didn't respond, as she stared wide-eyed at Harry, completely frozen. She was probably embarrassed about Harry seeing her in her sleepwear, or just seeing Harry in general. In the current timeline, while she wasn't as starstruck by Harry, she still had a huge crush on him, which made it rather difficult for her to act normal around him if there wasn't a big group of people surrounding them.

"Are you alright there, Ginny?" Mrs Weasley asked.

There was still no response from Ginny. Instead, she quickly sprinted out of the room.

"That was odd," Mrs Weasley furrowed her eyebrows.

"If you need someone to wake the boys up, Mrs Weasley, I can do it," Harry offered.

"Are you sure, Harry? You're a guest, I don't want to trouble you too much, dear," Mrs Weasley said.

"It's no trouble," Harry reassured her.

"Oh, you're such a wonderful young man, Harry," Mrs Weasley praised as Harry began walking up the stairs.

Harry first made his way to Percy's room and knocked on the door. When he got no answer, he opened it, only to find Percy in a rather...compromising position with Penelope Clearwater.

The two lovebirds quickly flung apart in shock, using blankets to cover themselves up. Penelope hid her face under the sheets, clearly mortified. "This isn't what it looks like," Percy said defensively, face red as a beet.

Harry shrugged. "Don't worry about my innocence—I've seen far worse things in my lifetime. Just—pro tip for next time? Try locking the door—and pay more attention to your surroundings—so you don't get caught by your mother. If you'd heard my knock, you probably wouldn't have gotten caught."

"Thanks...thanks for the advice, Harry," Percy muttered, not looking him in the eye.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you manage to sneak Penelope up here without Mrs Weasley noticing?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Well—while Mother watches the others like a hawk (especially the twins), she doesn't monitor me as much. I can do no wrong in her eyes because I'm the 'perfect Prefect', and she just assumes that since I'm such a stickler for the rules, I'd never break any myself. It's much easier for me to get away with things," Percy replied.

"That makes sense," Harry acknowledged. "But how exactly did she get up here? I'm just asking because if there's some kind of secret passage around here, it might be nice to know about."

"I paid the twins two Galleons each to cause a distraction early yesterday evening before you got here, and used that time to Floo call Penelope and tell her to Floo on over, then sneaked her upstairs. Fred and George have also guaranteed me another 20 minute diversion sometime today before noon, which I will use to help Penelope escape. Of course, now the twins are even more suspicious about my personal life, but I'm pretty sure they already think I have a girlfriend, anyway," Percy explained.

"Wow, Perce," Harry began. "You're a lot cooler than I ever gave you credit for."

Percy blushed again, turning an even deeper shade of red. "Thank you, Harry. Just so we're clear—you're not telling my mother about this, correct?"

"Don't worry—I'm not a narc," Harry reassured him. "Though I'll probably tell the twins who your girlfriend is, seeing as they're going to find out soon anyway. Obviously, I won't tell them _how_ I found out about Penelope, since they would go running to your mother about it just to make your life miserable."

"As long as Mother doesn't find out about...this particular...instant, I'm fine with that," Percy said.

"All right then...I'll just...be going...By the way, I'd recommend wrapping this little love session up, because your mum is wondering why you aren't at breakfast yet. Penelope should probably stay up here while you make a brief appearance at the breakfast table—just so your mum knows that you aren't dead, and doesn't come up here herself to check on you. Also—just a friendly reminder to always use protection! Contraception spells for the win!" Harry advised him before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Even though he wouldn't be able to get the image of Percy and Penelope doing _it_ out of his mind any time soon, at least he'd inadvertently preserved Ginny's innocence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	18. Diagon Alley

Shortly after the Weasleys and Harry received their booklists, they made plans to meet up with Draco, Hermione, Neville, and their families in Diagon Alley (Mr Weasley wasn't exactly on board with the idea of intentionally hanging out with his archnemesis, but after some persuasion from Harry and Ron, he reluctantly allowed them to invite Draco). Harry had also invited Sirius to come along. The two of them had an elaborate scheme planned to break into Gringotts and steal the Horcrux out of Bellatrix's vault.

After taking a post-jentacular walk to settle their stomachs, Harry and the Weasleys Flooed to Diagon Alley. The group bought school supplies from various stores before walking to Flourish and Blotts, the place where Neville, Draco, Hermione, and Sirius had agreed to meet them. The store was much more crowded than usual, thanks to Lockhart's book signing that was scheduled in an hour.

It looked like Hermione and Neville hadn't yet arrived, but the Malfoys had, as they stood stiffly in the corner, looking like they were silently judging everyone around them. Upon spotting the Weasleys and Harry, Draco's face broke out into a smile.

"Harry, Ron!" Draco called out.

Lucius's facial expression showed a hint of shock before it shifted into a sneer, upon spotting the Weasleys. Harry had a feeling that Draco had neglected to mention to his parents that Harry wasn't the only friend he was planning on meeting up with, which was probably a smart move on Draco's part, given the look of pure contempt on Lucius's face.

"Hi, Draco," Harry greeted, holding out his hand, Ron doing the same beside him. He was a bit surprised when Draco ignored their hands, and instead, embraced both of them.

Ron looked flabbergasted. "Uh...not that I'm not happy to see you, mate, but what's with the hugging?"

"Father and I have been arguing about my choice of friends all summer long—me hugging you will aggravate him—which serves him right for being a plonker," Draco explained. "Don't worry, I don't plan on making a habit of it. After all, Weaselbee, your hygiene is questionable. It's obvious you don't use a cleaning spell after Flooing—your robe is covered in soot," Draco teased.

"Shut up, Malfoy. At least I don't spend three hours a day putting product in my hair," Ron joshed.

"Hey, it takes time to look this good," Draco responded with a shrug.

Ron didn't seem to have a retort to this, and he brought back the subject they'd originally been talking about. "Wait...if you're just doing this to piss off your father, then why are you hugging Harry, too? I thought your father actually liked Harry."

"Correction—he likes Harry's power and influence. And to answer your question—it would look weird if I hugged a Weasley, yet ignored Harry Potter. I do like him a lot more than I like you, after all," Draco jested.

Following some more bickering between Ron and Draco (seriously, those two argued more than Ron and Hermione), Draco made a show of greeting each member of the Weasley family and shaking their hands. He even kissed Ginny's and Mrs Weasley's hands. Harry glanced at Lucius, and noticed that the man looked like he was seconds away from having a fit. Narcissa didn't seem to mind as much, looking indifferent as she rubbed a soothing hand on Lucius's back.

Lucius then flounced over to the group, Narcissa following close behind. "Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley," he drawled as he grabbed Draco's arm, pulling him away from the group.

Mr Weasley crossed his arms and scowled at the other man. "Lucius," he said frostily.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Lucius. "All those raids...I do hope they're paying you overtime."

"I quite agree, Father," Draco chimed in, smirking. "I've heard that Mr Weasley has been working tirelessly to pass the new Muggle Protection Act, so I believe he deserves a good amount of compensation for that. What a noble cause — am I right?"

"Be quiet, Draco!" Lucius harrumphed.

"Yes, Father. Your wish is my command," Draco replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Lucius reached into Ginny's cauldron and picked up a tattered copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ , passed down from her brothers (Harry wasn't sure why she'd brought the old book with her to Diagon Alley). Harry noticed him discreetly place the diary inside the book before dropping it back in the cauldron.

"Hand-me-downs...clearly, you're still not making enough to provide for your family. Tell me, Weasley—what is the point of being a disgrace to the name of wizard—if they don't even pay you well for it?" Lucius curled his lip.

"Our family has a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Mr Weasley snapped.

"Obviously," Lucius answered, his pale eyes glaring at Mr Weasley. "I don't care how hard you try to push that barbaric Muggle Protection Act onto the Ministry — it won't go through. Any respectable wizard would oppose—"

"Why — hello, friends," Sirius cut in, Tonks and Andromeda by his side. "And enemies," he added, glowering at Lucius.

"Tonks? Andy? What are you doing here?" Harry wondered.

"We ran into Sirius at the Apothecary and decided to hang out with him for a bit," Tonks answered. "He bought the store's entire supply of Mandrake Restorative Draught for some unknown reason," she added.

"Oh—he bought those for me—well, technically, they're for the students of Hogwarts. I'll be donating the entire supply to the Hospital Wing come September first," Harry said.

"Why?" Tonks asked.

"You never know when you'll need to de-petrify someone," Harry said with a shrug. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Harry, you may be the most paranoid person I've ever met," Tonks said bluntly.

"I mean — one of the most evil wizards of all time has been trying to kill me since I was a baby — paranoia is just a part of self-preservation for me," Harry responded reasonably.

Tonks snorted. "Self-preservation? You? I was actually under the impression that you're suicidal. Rumour has it that you decided to take on a Dark Lord possessed teacher with a few other first years."

Harry scoffed. "Oh, please — even without his fake stutter, Quirrell was the least intimidating person ever. That stunt is one of the safer things that I've done," Harry added.

"Yeah — you have issues," Tonks replied, looking at him side-ways.

Before he could open his mouth to retort, Narcissa spoke up. "Andromeda — I...I've been meaning to talk to you ever since Draco mentioned meeting Nymphadora at school —"

"I refuse to acknowledge that horrid name as my own," Tonks muttered.

"Cissy — it's okay," Andromeda cut in, tears welling up in her eyes. "I've missed you," she said, embracing her sister tightly.

Everyone backed away then, giving the sisters some privacy. Lucius couldn't seem to keep the disgust off his face. Clearly, Narcissa hadn't discussed potentially reconciling with her blood traitor sister with him.

Hermione and Neville arrived soon after, and the kids got their school books together while the adults (excluding Lucius) had an awkward, but relatively civil conversation.

Harry tried to convince his friends to leave before Lockhart arrived, and while Neville, Draco, and Ron were on board with the idea, Hermione insisted that they stay and meet him.

"He's a genius, Harry!" Hermione said.

"No, Hermione. _You're_ a genius — he's a fraud," Harry responded.

"Oh, please, Harry. If he was a fraud, then how was he able to write so many books displaying his vast knowledge about magical creatures then?" Hermione retorted.

"By Obliviating accomplished witches and wizards and stealing their work?" Harry suggested.

"That's preposterous!" Hermione exclaimed. "And downright illegal — there's no way anyone would be able to get away with that!"

"Hermione — if you examine his works a little closer — you'll see a plethora of inconsistencies. For example — in _The Magical Beast Massacre,_ he claims to have slayed an out-of-control Erumpent on Christmas of 1985 in Uganda, yet — in _Voyages with Vampires_ he says he spent the Christmas holidays backpacking through the Rocky Mountains with a vampire. And that's just one of many contradictions. Honestly — I'm surprised that no one's called him out on any of his bullshit yet."

"I'm sure he just mixed up some of his dates," Hermione insisted.

Right then, Lockhart walked into the room, wearing his signature smile. The room erupted with cheers, and both Hermione and Mrs Weasley stared at him dreamily.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to meet a celebrity!" Hermione squealed. "Oh, he's even more beautiful in person," she cooed.

"Didn't you tell me that celebrity worship is 'imprudent' and will be 'the downfall of society' last year while I was selling my merch?" Harry asked.

"This is different," Hermione replied.

"How so?" Harry wondered.

"Lockhart uses his fame for good — he writes books educating people on important topics. You — on the other hand, exploit your fame for all it's worth and trick people into purchasing your pointless products," Hermione explained.

Harry snorted. "Yeah — Lockhart's a saint that would never use his fame selfishly," Harry said sarcastically. "That's why he sells his cologne on _Witch Weekly_ and is known to call the paparazzi on himself."

Hermione ignored Harry, and she continued fawning over Lockhart. Oh well. She'd come to her senses about the fraud eventually.

At that moment, one of the photographers collided with Ron, stepping on his foot. "Out of the way, you! This is for _The Daily Prophet_!" he growled.

"Big whoop," Ron scoffed, wincing as he rubbed his foot.

The commotion got Lockhart's attention, and after looking over at Ron, Lockhart laid eyes on Harry.

"It can't be — Harry Potter?" Lockhart shouted.

"Really?" Harry asked, feigning excitement. "I'm a huge fan—I've always wanted to meet him!"

"I thought you were Harry Potter," Lockhart said with a confused frown.

"Nope, the name's Snivelly Sn—actually, there's no point in giving you my last name, because I'm not famous," Harry lied. Snape would probably kill him if rumours about him having a bastard child made it into the tabloids. "Why did you think I was Harry Potter?"

"Well — I spotted your scar —" Lockhart said awkwardly.

"Oh, that? My father wanted me to have a curse scar just like Harry Potter's, so he shot a Septemsempra curse at me and healed every part of my body except for a small lightning bolt on my forehead. It took a few tries to get it right—and it was rather painful—but definitely worth it," Harry said, trying not to laugh.

"I don't know how you didn't recognize me," Draco cut in. "But I'm Harry Potter," he declared with a smirk, stepping in front of Harry.

"Are you really?" Lockhart peered at him suspiciously. "I thought Harry Potter had black hair?"

"Hair dye," Draco shrugged. "As for why my stupid-looking scar isn't showing? I put makeup over it."

"Well, Harry Potter, I am very sorry for the mix-up," Lockhart said. "I must say, the blonde hair suits you well. Why don't we take a picture for _The Daily Prophet_ together?" he asked, grabbing Draco by the arm and pulling him up before he could answer.

"Nice big smile, Harry," Lockhart said to Draco as he flashed his pearly white teeth at the camera. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

After the photo opt, Lockhart announced his new job as the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts and sent Draco off with his entire book collection.

"Here, Weasley," Harry heard Draco say as he dumped his new books into Ginny's cauldron. "I know your brother would never accept charity from me—so you can have these instead — which is perfect because I've noticed that you haven't actually paid for your books yet, and I have—and it would be a hassle to wait in line to return them. So don't you dare try to give them back to me."

Ginny turned red. "Thanks, Malfoy. I'll go get these to my mum—she probably won't be happy that I accepted these, especially from a Malfoy—no offense. But she'll definitely want to get them signed by Lockhart, anyway—she fancies the man," she said, shyly bowing her head and walking away.

When they all finally made it out of the bookstore, Harry and Sirius excused themselves from the rest of the group, telling them they had some business to take care of at Gringotts, which wasn't technically a lie.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me again—why can't we just ask Tonks to transform into Bellatrix and grab Hufflepuff's Cup out of the vault?" Sirius wondered as the two of them stood in an abandoned alleyway near Gringotts..

"Because she's an Auror-in-training and might be suspicious as to why we're looking for dark artifacts in her deranged aunt's vault? Not that I think she'd report us to the Ministry—I just think it's better if less people are involved with the Horcruxes," Harry answered.

"Okay—so what's your plan then? Waltz right into Gringotts and demand that the Goblins let us into her vault?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"I was thinking that between the two of us—we might be able to pull off a somewhat convincing Transfiguration of you into Bellatrix. After all, you are cousins that resemble each other quite a bit," Harry said.

"I look nothing like that wretched woman!" Sirius protested.

"Whatever—regardless of whether or not you think you resemble her—you still have to be the one that we transfigure into Bellatrix. The Goblins will ask for a blood sample, and since you two are closely related, you're more likely to pass it," Harry explained. Hopefully, the Goblins won't question why an Azkaban prisoner is in Gringotts."

"Fine," Sirius relented. "Let's get this over with."

He and Sirius worked at transfiguring Sirius for around fifteen minutes, but it seemed like no matter what they did, it wouldn't be convincing enough for the Goblins to fall for it. They needed to use Polyjuice. Unfortunately, while Harry carried some on his person at all times, there was no way they'd be able to get Bellatrix's hair while she was in Azkaban...unless...

"Hey, Sirius. I know that it's impossible for humans to Apparate in and out of Azkaban, but what about House-elves?" Harry thought out loud.

"Hmm...I know they put an Anti-Apparition charm on all prisoners on top of the wards around Azkaban just for good measure...so even if a House-elf were to come and break them out...they wouldn't be able to side-along Apparate with the elf," Sirius replied.

"Interesting…" Harry muttered. "Kreacher!" he called.

"You do know that he technically has no reason to be at your beck and call, because he isn't your House-elf, right?" Sirius asked. "I mean, half the time—he still pretends not to hear _me_ when I call him—and he's magically bound to me."

"Trust me—if I call for him—he'll come," Harry said confidently.

Right then, Kreacher appeared in front of them with a _pop!_ "What can Kreacher do for his wonderful Master, Harry Potter?"

"Why is it that he still likes you better—even though he's my elf—and I'm the one who actually destroyed the locket," Sirius complained.

"Probably because I'm not an arse to him—and didn't spend years tormenting him when I was a child?" Harry suggested.

"Master Harry is correct," Kreacher affirmed. "But what is it that Master Harry and Master-that-Kreacher-somewhat-tolerates needs Kreacher to do?"

"Kreacher—I need you to Apparate into Azkaban and steal a hair from both Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Obviously, they won't have their wands—so they shouldn't be able to hurt you. But—be careful anyway—all right, Kreacher? Here," Harry said, taking out a magical pocket knife that Sirius had gifted him. "Take this—just for extra protection."

"Thank you, Master," Kreacher says. "Yous kindness is appreciated by Kreacher. Kreacher has nothing to do other than attend to poor Mistress at the house, and many times, my dear Mistress isn't wanting Kreacher to talk to her, so Kreacher has to be by himself on the other side of the house."

Harry thought about what Kreacher said. While he and Sirius occasionally called him over to perform certain tasks for them, Kreacher spent most of his time cooped up in Grimmauld Place, with nothing but Sirius's deranged mother's portrait to keep him company. Everyone needed some social interaction, even those like Kreacher who were used to being alone for long periods of time.

"Kreacher—are you lonely?" Harry asked.

"With his great Mistress, Kreacher could never be lonely," he insisted.

"Yes, I understand. Mrs Black is a great person to be around," Harry answered, doing his best to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Sirius snorted.

"But—" Harry continued, "maybe you could spend your time somewhere where there are other elves to keep you company...at least for a majority of the time. You could work at Hogwarts for most of the year—and return to Grimmauld Place whenever you want to—if you want to check on Mrs Black," he suggested.

Kreacher looked thoughtful. "Perhaps Kreacher would enjoy working again."

"Well then—after you get us those hairs from Azkaban—you have Sirius's permission to work at Hogwarts, but you can also go back home whenever you want to. Isn't that right, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, sure—whatever," Sirius said, looking like he couldn't care less.

"Okay, Kreacher. Are you sure you're up for this?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Master. Kreacher will do anything for the boy who helped Kreacher fulfill Master Regulus's last request," Kreacher saluted him before Apparating away.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After Kreacher gave them the Lestranges' hair, Harry and Sirius took the Polyjuice Potion and headed into Gringotts.

They avoided the wizard guards, then walked past several Goblins sitting at the long counter, before settling on an older-looking Goblin, hoping that he'd be easier to fool.

"Ah, Madam Lestrange!" the Goblin greeted Sirius, as if it were totally normal that an Azkaban prisoner was walking around Gringotts. Perhaps the Goblins just didn't pay much attention to wizard affairs...or maybe they just assumed that the Lestranges had recently broken out, and wanted to withdraw some money before going on the run. He then turned to Harry. "And Mr Lestrange, as well. To what do I owe the honour?"

"We wish to enter the Lestrange vault," Harry said nervously, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

"Very well," the Goblin replied. "I shall require a blood sample from one of you—to verify your identity."

Sirius reluctantly held his hand out, and the Goblin made a small cut in his hand, dripping the blood into a cauldron.

The cauldron turned green, meaning that Sirius had passed the blood test. "I will escort you both to your vault," the Goblin said.

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. That had been easy. Almost...too easy. When the Goblin went to the back to "retrieve their keys", yet didn't come back for almost five minutes, Harry began to feel suspicious. First of all, Goblins rarely kept keys "in the back" as they would normally magically appear on the Goblins' counter upon request. Goblins weren't easy to fool, and it probably wouldn't take long for one of them to verify that Bellatrix and Rodolphous Lestrange were indeed still in Azkaban.

"Sirius, we need to get out of here!" Harry hissed. "They're onto us!"

"Can't we just Imperius the Goblin we were talking to?" Sirius wondered as they began walking at a brisk pace, trying not to look suspicious.

"He has probably already alerted several others in the back about his suspicions—and it's hard to Imperius several of them at a time. The best we can do is get to the vault before all the Goblins come after us," Harry whispered back. "Though— we will need one of them to control the carts for us…" Harry said thoughtfully.

Once they reached the end of the counter, Harry discreetly whispered, " _Imperio_ ," and the Goblin's eyes glazed over, and he got out of his stool.

"You will summon a spare key and take me to my family vault," Harry demanded.

"Yes, I shall take you to the Lestrange vault," he said robotically, walking back over to grab the key that had magically appeared on the counter, before leading them out of the room.

The Goblin then whistled to summon a cart, and with a slight jerk, it took off. So far, three didn't seem to be any sign that any of the Goblins were after them, but just to be safe, Harry Imperiused the Goblin again just to strengthen it, and ordered him to make the cart go faster.

After a series of twists and turns, the three of them finally arrived at the Lestrange vault. Harry and Sirius waited for the Goblin to lift the security measures off the vault and open it, then ordered him to return to his desk, telling no one about what had just occurred.

It took Sirius around 15 minutes to remove the Gemino and Flagrante Curses, while Harry stood guard, checking for any signs of angry Goblins.

When Sirius finally emerged from the vault with the Cup in hand, Harry realized something...they should've waited until _after_ they'd secured the Cup to send the Goblin off, since they couldn't control the carts themselves. Shit. How could they have been so stupid? When Harry pointed this out to Sirius, his godfather was more than happy to pin the blame on Harry.

"Seriously? You had 11 years to plan the Gringotts break-in, and you allowed a Hippogriff-sized oversight like this to occur?" Sirius exclaimed. "That's it! We're screwed. Now—there'll be two new cells in Azkaban for the both of us."

"Hey! This is just as much your fault as it is mine! Besides, we're not completely screwed. We could always escape on the Gringotts dragon—Ron, Hermione, and I did that last time," Harry said.

"I suppose that could be fun…" Sirius admitted.

As they ran towards the dragon, Harry heard footsteps coming from behind them. "Thieves! Stop the thieves!" a Goblin cried out.

Harry glanced behind him, and noticed several wizard guards chasing after him and Sirius. " _Stupefy!"_ Harry shouted, Sirius joining in. Several red flashes knocked out the wizard guards directly behind them, but Harry could see more of them coming their way from the carts.

" _Relashio!"_ Harry yelled, pointing at the chains tying the dragon down. He and Sirius quickly hoisted themselves onto the dragon.

At first, the dragon didn't seem to realize that it was free, so Harry shot a Levitation Spell at the Dragon, lifting them a few feet up into the air, making the dragon realize that it was indeed untethered.

The dragon let out a deafening roar, breathing out a huge stream of fire, then took off. Harry jabbed his feet into its scales, desperately trying to hold on. The dragon flew towards the opening at the top, breathing out another large flame, completely carving out the ceiling, allowing for their escape.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once they were out of Gringotts, Sirius and Harry Apparated to Grimmauld Place while they were riding the dragon in mid-air. Sirius promised to keep Hufflepuff's Cup there until he found a good place to destroy it.

After the two of them got themselves cleaned up, they Apparated back to Diagon Alley, and Harry left with the Weasleys.

At the dinner table, Harry couldn't bring himself to eat anything, as he was too concerned about getting the diary Horcrux out of Ginny's possession. He excused himself early, making up an excuse about an upset stomach, then bolted into Ginny's room.

The first place Harry checked was her cauldron, opening her Transfiguration textbook, remembering that Luicus had placed it in there. But to his surprise, even after turning the book and the cauldron inside out, the diary was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Ginny had already written in it, and it was somewhere else in her room?

Harry then rummaged through her entire room five times—but found nothing. After Harry put the room back together, he realized that he couldn't deny it any longer. Ginny no longer had the diary, and for the first time since he'd come back in time, something important hadn't gone according to plan, and the unpredictability of what would happen next was absolutely frightening.


	19. Dobby Strikes Again

That night after Ron fell asleep, Harry casted a Silencing Charm, before calling into his two-way mirror, "Sirius Black!"

"Prongslet! What's up? Shouldn't you be asleep? I'm surprised that Molly Weasley hasn't forced you to go to bed — it's already one AM." Sirius replied.

"Yeah — she did. I just — I needed to talk to you — about the diary," Harry answered.

"Speaking of the diary — I was thinking that we could meet up sometime at night before you go to Hogwarts — and destroy Hufflepuff's Cup and the diary together," Sirius suggested.

"Um...about that — it seems as though we've run into a bit of a hiccup — the diary is...missing," Harry revealed sheepishly.

" _Missing?_ What exactly do you mean by that?" Sirius asked anxiously. "Please—tell me this is just your idea of a joke."

Harry shook his head. "I mean –– it's gone — as in –– it's nowhere to be found. I went inside Ginny's room right after dinner — and searched the place high and low...it isn't there," Harry clarified.

"Are you sure? Maybe Ginny's already written in it — and hid it somewhere — because she didn't want anyone to find it," Sirius proposed.

"No — it's definitely gone," Harry admitted dejectedly. "I know all of Ginny's secret hiding spots — we were married once, after all."

"Merlin, Harry! Why'd you have to go and mess this up?" Sirius complained.

"Me?! Why are you pinning this _all_ on me?!" Harry retorted.

"Because when I suggested my incredible plan — you know, the one where we'd take the diary as soon as Lucius put it in Ginny's cauldron — you were the idiot who shot it down!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Because that would've looked suspicious!" Harry insisted. "Don't you think the Weasleys would've found it strange — if they'd seen me randomly stick my hand inside their little sister's cauldron?"

"Since when have you cared about 'looking strange'? You could've just made up some cock and bull about your Dream Seering like you always do!" Sirius pointed out. "But — no! You insisted on getting the diary later — and now thanks to your moronic plan — a piece of Voldemort's soul is out and about — waiting for its next victim."

"Enough with the vitriolic attacks, Sirius!" Harry snapped. "While I'll admit that my plan was flawed — I didn't mean for this to happen — and turning against each other now — won't fix anything!"

"I'm sorry, Harry — that was a bit harsh and gratuitous," Sirius admitted. "But — let's face it — in hindsight, my plan was far superior to yours. We really shouldn't have taken even the tiniest chance that someone else would get their hands on a Horcrux."

Harry opened his mouth to defend himself — then quickly closed it. Sirius made a good point. "You're right, this is all my fault — I'm a fucking idiot. Even though I was ambivalent about my plan — I made you go along with it, anyway. You were right — and I was wrong, happy?"

"Yeah — fairly happy," Sirius replied smugly. "Unfortunately — any excitement I feel from you admitting that I was right — is being overshadowed by the fact that a piece of Voldemort's soul might be running around with someone as we speak."

Harry sighed. "I just didn't think things would happen any differently than they did last time...I don't understand why this changed..."

"I mean — we've already established that every little thing we change has a butterfly effect. Perhaps — Ginny bumped into someone and dropped the diary — because something you did caused her to walk a different direction than she did last time," Sirius reasoned.

Harry groaned. "Why did this have to happen? I know that we bought the Mandrake potions just in case something went wrong — but I wasn't actually expecting us —"

Sirius cleared his throat pointedly.

"I mean, myself — to botch up like this. This sucks," Harry whined.

"Hey, despite all the grief that I gave you earlier about losing the diary — I'm not mad at you. I mostly just wanted to hear you admit that I was right. Yes, you were stupid, and if you'd just listened to me, then —" Sirius began.

"Get to the point, Sirius!" Harry cut in.

"Anyway — you have to admit that — despite this minor mishap with the diary — we've done a good job at not messing things up. I mean — we've already destroyed three Horcruxes, the Cup is already in my possession, ready to be destroyed — we managed to take down Voldemort, and save both your parents — and Neville's," Sirius pointed out. "My point is — we've already changed so many things for the better — so don't beat yourself up — it won't do you any good."

"Hypocrite," Harry muttered, thinking about how in the old timeline, Sirius had spent the rest of his life beating himself up over his best friend's death — despite it not being his fault.

"I know it's probably a longshot — since so many people were in and out of the book-shop today — but I'll go check Flourish and Blotts first thing in the morning tomorrow — just in case Ginny dropped the diary there. Actually, I can probably find a place to destroy the Cup before that —"

Harry heard footsteps from Sirius's end of the mirror. "Sirius! Who are you talking to?" James interrupted.

"Hey, Dad," Harry greeted.

"What're you doing up, kiddo?" James asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Harry replied cheekily.

James chuckled. "Sassy — just like your old man. And to answer your question — I had emergency Auror business tonight — and got called in. I also happen to be an adult — so it doesn't matter what time I go to sleep, because I don't have a bedtime."

"Why is it that you're always getting called in — but not Sirius?" Harry questioned curiously.

"Because — unlike Sirius, I'm not a slacker — and actually take my job seriously," James responded. "I'm pretty sure the only reason Padfoot hasn't been fired yet — is because there's a shortage in the Auror department — and they're desperate."

"Hey — that's not true! I'm just better at standing my ground — and demanding an adequate number of days off," Sirius protested. "Besides — they keep me around because I'm the best Auror in the department — no offense, Prongs. As a matter of fact — I'm so good that I can't be bothered with menial field work."

"Right," James scoffed. "You're right on your way to becoming the next Head Auror of the department," he added sarcastically.

"I'm _so_ glad you believe in me, Prongs," Sirius replied blithely.

James shook his head, looking like he'd had enough of Sirius's antics. "Anyway, Harry — how is everything going at the Weasleys? Did everything go alright at Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah — I mean, there were a few minor setbacks — such as the Goblins nearly catching Sirius and me as we were robbing Gringotts (my dreams tell me you'll probably see an article about it in _The Daily Prophet_ tomorrow), and losing a piece of Voldemort's soul in diary form — but other than that, it went well," Harry answered.

"We also got my House-elf, Kreacher, to break into Azkaban and steal the Lestranges' hair — in order to help with the Gringotts heist," Sirius added helpfully. "Obviously, it didn't go as smoothly as we would have preferred, but we did successfully steal a priceless magical artifact, so I'll call that a win."

Groaning, James said, "just once, I'd like to have a _normal_ conversation with you two — but of course, you guys are incapable of doing so."

"I'd hate to be your definition of normal. It would take all the fun out of life — to become an unimaginative old man like yourself," he teased.

"You did _not_ just call me that!" James exclaimed.

Harry shrugged. "It seems to me that — in your old age — you've fallen victim to senescence."

"Oh — when you come back home for the holidays — you are _so_ grounded!" James exclaimed jokingly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Somehow — despite Harry's efforts to remind everyone about things they'd likely forget (in order to prevent the group from having to make several trips back to the Burrow), they ended up arriving at King's Cross Station with only five minutes to spare.

Harry had a sinking feeling in his gut — telling him that even though he'd been successful in reminding everyone not to forget _their_ things, Harry himself had forgotten about a paramount event. Unfortunately, for the life of him, he couldn't recall what it was.

It wasn't until he and Ron went crashing into a rock-solid barrier that the memories finally came flooding back to him. _Of course_ , he'd remembered Dobby's interference at the train station during the summer months, but had _conveniently_ forgotten about it when it'd actually be useful to him — for the sake of the plot. After all, what kind of book would his life make — if he didn't have to improvise every once in a while?

"Um...Harry?" Ron questioned nervously.

"Yeah, Ron?" Harry asked as he silently performed Shrinking Spells on both his and Ron's trunks — before letting Hedwig out of her cage (so she could fly to Hogwarts).

"Are you _absolutely certain_ that this is a smart idea?" Ron asked hesitantly.

"Oh — come on — Ron! Do you have no faith in your best mate? When have I _ever_ led you astray?" Harry responded.

Ron didn't dignify that statement with a response.

"But — flying our brooms to Hogwarts? That seems like a bit _too_ much," Ron protested. "Why don't we just fly my dad's car?" he suggested.

"Because — despite the fact that I would love to fly that car and show you my remarkably protean skills— it looks like it's seconds away from breaking down, no offense — and if we fly it too far — it definitely will," Harry explained. "So — that means our only option is to fly our Nimbus 2000s."

Actually, it would probably be a lot easier for Ron to side-along Apparate with Harry to Hogsmade — and then get to Hogwarts by foot — but where was the fun in that?

The two of them mounted their brooms and took off — with Harry leading the way (he felt obligated to be the "responsible adult", after all).

"Keep up, Ron!" Harry teased as he thrusted his broom forward to gain even more momentum.

"Not all of us can be flying prodigies, Harry!" Ron kvetched.

Taking pity on Ron, Harry slowed down a bit to give the redhead a chance to catch up.

"We — need — to — find — the — train!" Ron said breathlessly when he finally got to Harry.

"I see it — It's right over there!" Harry pointed below them, where the Hogwarts Express was chugging along. Its ear-splitting whistle noise and scarlet red hue made it impossible to miss. This was just a testament to how unobservant Ron really was.

At that moment, a pigeon flew by above them, excreting a stream of gooey white paste, which ended up landing right on Ron's head.

"Ugh — SHIT!" Ron exclaimed, scrunching up his face.

"Yeah — literally," Harry cackled.

"This isn't funny, Harry!" Ron glowered at him. "That bloody pigeon!"

" _Well_ — it's _kind of_ funny," Harry continued to laugh raucously. "Anyway, I think the train is going slow enough right now for us to safely land on top of it. Well — probably."

"Land on top of the train— with our _broomsticks_?! I know I say this often — but you're absolutely mental, Harry!" Ron said incredulously.

"You say that like it's something that I shouldn't be proud of," Harry replied casually. "Come on — let's go! I can even slow the train down momentarily — to make the landing smoother."

"All right, fine!" Ron said reluctantly, following Harry towards the train. "But if we die — I _will_ kill you, Harry."

" _Aresto Momentum!_ " Harry shouted, pointing at the train. The train began to slow— and eventually, it skidded to a halt.

The two of them climbed down from the roof of the train and crawled into the closet compartment's window (which was conveniently already open). Harry then undid the Aresto Momentum Charm, and the train gradually began to speed up.

While Ron landed face first on the ground of the compartment, Harry landed gracefully on both feet (thanks to a new spell that he'd learned over the summer). They came face-to face with a very confused-looking Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang.

"Where the hell did you two come from?" Cedric questioned. "And why are you guys carrying your broomsticks?"

"What's that white liquid in your hair?" Cho added, gazing at Ron.

"Well, Cedric — we came from the sky — obviously, seeing as we flew from King's Cross Station to here on our broomsticks. You see — Draco Malfoy's House-elf has been trying to keep to me safe," Harry explained. "And Cho — the white goo in Ron's hair is pigeon poop," he added, doubling over with laughter again.

Ron glared at him.

"Oh — eww," Cho wrinkled her nose. "No offense," she added, directing a pitiful look at Ron.

"Let me get this straight — your friend's House-elf is trying to keep you safe — which is why you guys had to do something horribly reckless — like riding your broomsticks and landing on a moving train?" Cedric said disbelievingly.

"Correction — I used my amazing magical skills to slow the train down — to make our landing safe. I'm not _that_ irresponsible, after all. Did you guys not wonder why the train was suddenly decelerating? But — yeah — other than that, it seems as though you've understood me perfectly," Harry replied casually.

The soon-to-be-couple just stared at him as if he were insane.

"Well — I'm not saying that I buy the entirety of your fanatical-sounding story, but since you guys did land right in front of us — I suppose the part about you flying here is true. As an older student, I feel inclined to tell you guys how dangerous that was — and how — by all accounts — you two should be dead by now," Cedric said seriously.

"By all accounts — I should've died when I was an infant," Harry retorted. "I also should've died several times last year. When you live a life like mine — near-death experiences don't really have an impact on you anymore," Harry replied honestly.

"I suppose that's true," Cedric admitted. "However — can you _please_ be more careful in the future? We did become pretty good friends last year — and I quite like you. It'd be a shame if you died young because of your foolhardy behavior."

"I can try," Harry replied. "I can't make any promises, of course, or else my book series would get _really_ boring. No one wants to read about a main character who sits around being cautious all day."

Cho furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean by —" she began.

Cedric interrupted. "Don't bother — trust me — his explanations will make even less sense than what he's already said. It's easier to just leave it."

Ron nodded in agreement. Seriously, why on Earth did everyone in this timeline think he was mad as a hatter?

"Well — it was nice seeing you two. But I think the rest of the Fantastic Five are probably worried about us, so we should be going. Also — one more thing — my dreams told me that both of you like each other — and that you should stop dancing around your feelings — and date already," Harry said.

Cedric and Cho turned beet red.

"Bye!" Harry said cheerfully, as if he hadn't just dropped a huge bombshell. He grasped Ron's arm and left the two lovebirds to talk about their feelings.

While they were looking for the rest of the quintet, they ended up running into Dean and Seamus, who were holding hands and appeared to be deep in conversation.

When they noticed Harry and Ron standing in the doorway, they abruptly jumped apart.

"Oh — don't stop on our account. My dreams tell me that no matter how many girls you guys date — you'll always come back to each other," Harry said casually.

Dean and Seamus looked at him strangely.

_Oops, looks like they don't even know that they have feelings for each other yet — oh, to be young and clueless. They probably just think that everything they're doing is completely platonic — and don't know why they're embarrassed when people catch them in the act._

"Never mind," Harry said quickly. "In a few years, you'll know what I mean. We'll just...leave you to it."

Next, Harry and Ron encountered the twins, who were camped out near Percy's compartment, performing spells that made it impossible for Percy and Penelope to kiss without bumping noses.

After checking another compartment, only to find a hoard of annoying first years, Harry bumped into someone in the hallway.

"Hello, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley," Luna said dreamily as she looked at the ceiling.

When Luna finally finished observing the ceiling, he looked into her eyes and beheld wisdom beyond the young girl's years. It often baffled him that people often wrote her off as cretinous, when she was actually one of the most perspicacious students at Hogwarts. Though Hermione matched Luna in intelligence, Luna's wisdom far surpassed that of his bushy-haired friend. There truly was no one like Luna Lovegood.

Harry smiled at her. "Hi, Luna."

Luna didn't seem to find it at all strange that he knew her name. "If you two are looking for the rest of the Fantastic Five, they're in a compartment all the way on the other side of the train. I believe Ginevra Weasley is there, as well," she said helpfully, smiling faintly.

"Thanks, Luna. Would you like to join us?" Harry asked.

"That is a very kind request, Harry Potter," Luna replied. "I was looking for my shoes, but seeing as the Nargles are most likely behind their disappearance, it doesn't seem like I'll have much luck getting them back."

"So — are you coming or not?" Ron asked impatiently.

"I've been told that your friends are kind people — though a bit uninspired at times — which is why it's a good thing you all have Harry Potter to lead you into adventure," Luna replied as she turned around, leading them to the Fantastic Five's compartment without any further explanation.

Harry stopped midway and said, "actually, you guys go ahead. I just need to take care of something really quickly."

"Beware of the Nargles," Luna warned, giving him a friendly wave. "See you later, Harry Potter." She then skipped off, with a reluctant-looking Ron following her.

" _Locus Revelare_ Luna's shoes," Harry said, waving his wand.

The spell indicated that Luna's shoes were currently in a compartment occupied by second and third year Ravenclaws. Harry's blood boiled as he eavesdropped from outside the compartment.

"Did you see that weird girl?" a brunette girl laughed. "She didn't even realize that we'd taken her shoes until five minutes after the fact. And when she finally noticed that they were missing — she thought that the Nargles had taken them. What the hell is a Nargle, anyway?"

"What a fruitcake!" her friend chimed in. "I wonder if she was dropped as a baby."

"I hope she isn't in Ravenclaw," a boy interjected. "Aw — who am I kidding? There's no way an idiot like her will make it into Ravenclaw! It's like she doesn't even have a brain!"

Harry had heard enough. " _Accio_ Luna's shoes!" he shouted furiously as he stormed into the compartment.

"Merlin, you're Harry Potter!" a blonde girl exclaimed. "Would you like to sit with us?"

"No, I would _not_ ," Harry answered harshly. "After seeing the way you treated one of my friends — I have no interest in associating with you. I just came here to get Luna's shoes," he added, holding up the shoes for emphasis.

"That Loony girl is your _friend_?" she asked incredulously.

"Her name is Luna — so I'd appreciate it if you'd call her that. And she is a very good friend of mine — so if I get whiff of any crass behavior from any of you towards her again — I _will_ curse you. Luckily for you guys, I'm a merciful person — which is why I'm providing you all with a warning first," he said menacingly.

And with that threat hanging in the air, Harry walked out, ignoring the gaping Ravenclaws behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Harry! There you are! Where on Merlin's green Earth have you been?" Hermione exclaimed, giving him a suffocating hug as he finally walked into his friends' compartment. "Please tell me that Ron's ridiculous story about you two flying from King's Cross Station to here was a lie?" she begged, though her face showed that she knew it Ron had been telling the truth.

"Sorry, Hermione, but it's true," Harry replied, not really sorry at all.

"Now — what would possess you two to do something so thoughtless?" Hermione scolded. "Is it true that the barrier really sealed itself when you guys tried to enter it? Because I've never heard of such a thing happening!"

"Well — that's because no other student has ever had one of their best friends' obsessed House-elves try to save their life," Harry pointed out.

"Are you telling me that Dobby is still bothering you?" Draco asked. "I thought I made it very clear to him that he was to leave you alone — after I ordered him to stop stealing your mail."

"Did you ever specifically instruct him to stop his misguided attempts at protecting me?" Harry asked.

Shaking his head, Draco called out, "Dobby!"

"You called, Master Draco?" Dobby asked nervously. Upon spotting Harry, his eyes widened. "Harry Potter came to school! Even after Dobby warned him not to! Dobby cannot understand how Harry Potter got on the train — since Dobby stopped the barrier from letting him through!" Dobby then clasped his hands over his mouth, probably realizing that he'd accidentally confessed his wrongdoings.

"While I'll admit that you took an interesting approach in trying to prevent me from getting on the train — I'm far too creative to let a small hiccup like that — prevent me from getting to where I want to go," Harry answered.

"But — Harry Potter! You don't understand! The plot to make the most evil things come true makes Hogwarts unsafe for yous. No schoolboy can be prepared for such a thing. Dobby has to save Harry Potter's life — which means that Harry Potter must not return to school. Yous must get off this train this very instant!" Dobby shrieked.

"Look, Dobby — I am very touched that you've gone through all this trouble to try to save my life — but like I told you in the summer — I am pretty self-sufficient. You really don't have to worry about my safety — I'm a very cautious person," Harry reassured him.

There were several snorts from around the compartment.

"Dobby," Draco cut in. "I'm ordering you to stop trying to protect Harry. While I'll admit that he is prone to getting himself into dangerous situations, I doubt anything you do will actually help him. Quite frankly, the constant meddling in his life is irritating."

"Would Master Draco like Dobby to punish himself?" Dobby asked fearfully.

Hermione gasped loudly, a scandalized look etched into her face at the suggestion.

"No," Draco responded quickly. "Just quit messing with Harry, all right?"

"Yes, Master Draco," Dobby said, looking down at the ground shamefully.

"Oh –– Dobby? One more thing before you go," Harry said.

"Yes, Harry Potter? What can Dobby do for you, kind sir?" Dobby questioned eagerly.

"I just wanted to thank you –– for everything. I mean it," Harry said fervently, thinking about Dobby's limp body in his arms, willingly dying, so long as Harry got to live.

This sent Dobby over the edge, as he began wailing uncontrollably and hugged Harry's legs tightly. "Never –– has –– Dobby –– ever –– been –– thanked –– by –– a –– wizard!" he choked out through his sobs.

Hermione looked pointedly at Draco. "You've never expressed your gratitude towards Dobby –– even though he works full-time for you –– _without pay_?"

"Why would he, Hermione?" Ron interjected. "Dobby's just a House-elf. They're bred to serve wizards –– if anything, wizards that own House-elves are doing them a favour. House-elves need a sense of purpose to be happy –– it's just the way things are supposed to be. At least –– that's what Mum and Dad say –– not that we could ever afford a House-elf, anyway," he added, once again looking embarrassed upon admitting his family's struggling financial situation.

_Hmm...Ron always said that his mum's always wanted a House-elf –– maybe I could anonymously gift her one for Christmas. Merlin knows she'd never accept anything that expensive from me..._

"Enslaving an entire sentient species is barbaric and beyond the pale!" Hermione harrumphed. "I would never let a living being wait on me hand and foot."

"You do realize that Hogwarts has House-elves, right?" Neville butted in.

" _WHAT_?!" Hermione shrieked. "And Dumbledore _allows_ that? Surely –– _a good man like him_ would pay them, right?"

The compartment was silent, probably because everyone knew that Hermione wouldn't want to hear the answer to her question. Harry had a feeling that S.P.E.W. was about to be created a couple of years earlier.

"I've never really been around House-elves before," Ginny spoke up shyly, avoiding Harry's gaze. "Is that...normal for them to do?" she asked, pointing at Dobby, who was still clutching onto Harry and soaking his pants in tears.

"No –– not at all, actually. Dobby's always been a bit...off his rocker," Draco responded.

"I suspect that Wrackspurts are involved," Luna said softly. "In fact, I believe this entire compartment is swarming with them. It would explain all the odd behaviors you guys are currently exhibiting. It's probable that you all have been living with them for a long time. Though Harry's head seems to be free of them, as is mine."

The strange look that people often directed at Harry found its way to Luna.

"I always did think there was something off about them," Harry agreed, nodding at Luna. "We should really figure out a way to exorcise the Wrackspurts. Parasitic infestation is a big issue."

Now they were both on the receiving end of dumbfounded looks. It looked like Harry had finally met his match in this timeline.

XXXXXXXXXX

A short while later, Draco instructed Dobby to go back home and tend to his parents. Dobby claimed to be too distressed to go back to the Malfoy Manor, so Harry performed a Cheering Charm on the elf, and an ecstatic Dobby thanked him incessantly before Apparating out.

Harry then remembered that he still had Luna's shoes in his possession, so he expeditiously handed them back to her. The conversation quickly turned more light-hearted following Dobby's dramatic exit, though Hermione still looked a bit troubled, as she was probably still mulling over the revelations about the House-elves' role in the wizarding world.

"By the way, Weaselbee –– I like what you've done with your hair," Draco snorted, referencing the bird poop on Ron's head.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" Ron answered defensively. "Like the gelled-up mess on your head looks any better!"

Draco shrugged, amused. "At least I don't have literal shit on my head."

Taking pity on Ron, Harry pointed his wand and said, " _Scourgify!"_ Soap bubbles momentarily appeared on his friend's head, but his hair was clean again in a matter of seconds.

Rather than thanking him, Ron shot him an enraged stare. "You couldn't have done that earlier?"

"I mean, I could've –– but it was more entertaining for me to watch you struggle for a bit," Harry quipped, giving him an unapologetic shrug.

"And what about you?" Ron asked Hermione. "If Harry knows that spell –– you probably do, too! Why couldn't you have helped me before?"

"Well –– after hearing your tale about riding your broomsticks onto the Hogwarts Express, I thought it was a fair punishment –– to teach you a lesson about engaging in reckless behavior," Hermione answered.

"Some friends you are," Ron harrumphed, crossing his arms.

"So –– did any of you see the Daily Prophet from last week?" Neville asked, changing the subject. "There was another Gringotts break-in. It happened the same day we were there buying our school supplies. Hopefully, it doesn't lead to another near-death adventure at the end of the school year this time around."

"Oh –– don't you guys fret about that. Sirius and I broke into Gringotts to steal a piece of Voldemort's soul from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault," Harry deadpanned, not actually expecting anyone to believe him.

His friends decidedly ignored his comment. Well –– all except Luna, of course, who asked if she could interview him later about the break-in for _The Quibbler_.

"How could I miss that? Of course –– the one opportunity I have to make the front page –– gets overshadowed by _actual news_ ," Draco whined. "To make matters worse –– they moved me and Lockhart to the page six gossip column –– which is written exclusively by Rita Skeeter."

"While I usually only read _The Quibbler_ –– I occasionally glance over _The Daily Prophet_ –– just to check out Daddy's competition. If I'm remembering correctly –– it seems that Rita Skeeter has painted you as some obsessed stalker that spends all his free time following Harry Potter around and impersonating him," Luna stated matter-of-factly.

"Not only that –– but apparently, I forced Harry to lie about his name so that I could pretend to be him and get all the attention! She recommended that Harry get a restraining order to protect himself from me, the deranged fan!" Draco huffed. "My father spent the rest of the holidays yelling at me for disgracing the Malfoy name again!"

All of this was news to Harry, seeing as he rarely read _The Daily Prophet_ himself. Instead, he had his lawyers contact him anytime anything libelous was printed about him, and they'd pursue a lawsuit. Harry supposed that since the libel was written about Draco and not him, his lawyers hadn't bothered to inform him about the column.

In a way, it was a bit ironic that the woman Draco had fed defamatory stories about Harry to –– was now targeting Draco –– and even depicting Harry as the victim. Oh –– how the tables had turned. While Harry knew he should feel a bit bad for Draco, seeing as they were best mates now, revenge still felt so sweet, even though this version of Draco really _didn't_ deserve it.

"Wow –– Draco. I didn't know you were so dangerously obsessed with me. Maybe I _should_ talk to my lawyers about a restraining order," Harry teased gleefully.

If looks could kill, Draco would've thrice killed Harry –– with the glower he was directing Harry's way.

"If it's any consolation –– I never bought a word of it," Luna chimed in. "As long as the person reading it possesses my level of sanity, they'll feel the same way."

"How comforting," Draco muttered sarcastically.


End file.
